I 

I 





Class 1 

Book _ 



Copyright^?.. 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



CHRIST'S 
SECOND COMING 

BY 

REV. A. D. FAIRBANKS 



t 



BOSTON. MASS. 
THE ROXBURGH PUBLISHING COMPANY 

( INCORPORATED ) 






Copyrighted 1910 
By A. D. FAIRBANKS 

All Rights Reserved 



©CI A261273 



A FOREWORD. 



The Word of God has long been abused by 
its friends, who, by their "piece-meal" use of 
it, have made it an arsenal for battle, rather 
than a tree of life for enlightenment. The age 
has waited patiently for the appearance of a 
man, and of a certain disposition, who would 
deliver the Bible from textual narrowness, and 
connect it up with large areas of its uncovered 
truths. Such a new "Bible light" visits us in 
this present treatise, and it will compel a newer 
and larger alignment of Bible thought upon the 
subject it covers. 

The author brings to his subject a mind 
prophet-like in its dimensions, . and saint-like in 
its obedience to "the voice of the Word." By 
his balanced biblical groupings, he has plowed 
up, and under, the "easy" conclusions of many 
exegetes, who simply "followed copy" from the 
fathers. 

Through Mr. Fairbanks, the treatment of the 
Bible rises like "the program of a king," im- 
perial, commanding, and victorious. 



in 



He restores the book to its regnant realm, 
and has released a new and mighty idea. 

JOHN J. SHINGLER, Ph. D. 

Montrose, Colo., July 19th, 1909. 



It is with deep and lasting gratitude that I 
acknowledge the services of Rev. J. J. Shingler, 
pastor of the Congregational church of Mon- 
trose, Colo., in preparing this work for the 
press, particularly in arranging the Side Notes, 
and the Subject index ; the latter of which is 
very nearly all to be justly accredited to his 
masterly genius, and his superior scholarly at- 
tainments. — A. D. F. 



IV 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



Chapter Page 

I. Seed-Thoughts: or Forecast as Found in 

God's Promise to Our First Parents.. 21 
II. The Present Tense of Christ's Kingship 32 

III. Christ's Government-Seat 47 

IV. David's Throne — Its Continuance and 

Absorption • . 53 

V. No Interregnum — Christ's Immediate 

Occupancy of David's Throne 64 

VI. The Day of Judgment for Zion; and Her 

Displacement 79 

VII. Christ's Intermediate vs. His Final 

Coming 88 

VIII. Daniel's Symbol of the Kingdoms and 

the Stone 97 

IX. Christ Has Come: the First Heaven and 

the First Earth Have Passed Away. 106 
X. Bible Authors Deal with "The First 

Heaven and the First Earth" 118 

XL The View-Point of Modern Scholarship 

as to Date of Revelation.... 151 

Addenda: A Standard Biblical Difficulty, 
or The Problem of the Cherubim and the 
Flaming Sword • • 173 



SUBJECT— INDEX. 



Adam, and the two seeds, 1, 174: 

Atonement, 77: 

Authors, European and American, 152, 157, 158: 

Abraham's, Seed, (Christ), 50; the Seed set up, 55: 

Agency, is the cherubim, 174 — : the cherubim is the 
church, 184: 

Branch, the, 180: 

Christ, compared with Adam, 27, is prior to cre- 
ation, 25: 

His Kingdom set up, 36, 37, 97, 98, 99, 101: 

as to time, 27, 37: 

cannot be located, 37; explained, 37: 

blunder of location, 31: 

reign begins, 43, 68: 

Christ and David's throne, 47: 

now reigns, 35: 

results of reign, 44: 

things under him, 27: 

opposition already overcome, 29, 30: 

when his reign will end, 27, 28: 

He will resign, 87: but the Kingdom perpetual, 
54, 55: 

the Kingdom's double name, 103, 104: 

the Pharisee's question and Christ's answer, 92: 

the Kingdom by prophets and evangelists, 48, 
49, 50: 

the subject of preaching, 66: 

Christ's Kingdom and its second and final 
transfer, 45: 

vii 



SUBJECT INDEX. 

Christ's Coming — the text "without sin," 61: 

that generation to see it, 64, 65: 

John to see it, 89, 90: 

its immediateness, 85: 
Constantine, 101: 
Clarke, Dr., 123, 127: 

Conflict between Satan and Christ, 23, 24: 
Church, the meeting place of God and man, 177 
to 181: 

Christ and the church, one, 175: 
Cherubim, 173; need of study, 173; one thing in 
many figures, 175: 

they guard the tree, 72; guard the ark, 77: 

God dwells between, 183, 184: are on tabernacle 
curtain, 185: 

are in Solomon's temple, 185: used by Ezekiel, 
190: 
Covenant, old and new, 59: 

Day, the 39: last day, 75: of vengeance and recom- 
pense 84, 115, 116, 117, 118, 129: 
Daniel, — his abomination, 39: 

his beasts, 80: they are nations, 79, 80: 

his dream image, 97: the stone, 97, 99: 

the stone is Christ, 101 : 

it means Kingdoms, 97: other opinions, 99: 

author's conclusion, 101: 
David: David and Christ, 49: 50: Christ the true 
David, 49, 50: 

David deposed, 54, 55: Kingdom is taken from 
the Jews, 159, 160: 
Death, no more, 114, Rev. 21: 4: 
Earth, new: has the old seasons, 116, 143: 

but sun and moon have no ritual use 146, 147: 

is turned into pitch, 130: 

organized life survives, 132: 

the new earth is the present one, 135: 

from desert to garden, 134: Isaiah, 149: 

its literal destruction, unsupported, 140: 

viii 



SUBJECT INDEX. 

Elias: identified, 62: explained, 62: 

Enthroned: Christ with the Father, 188, 189: man 

with Christ, 188, 189: 
Eagles, and carcass, 42: 
Events, identified, 39, 40: 
Flight, the, and the advice, 40: 
Faces, the; the four, and their significance, 187, 188: 

according to John, 190, 191: 
God's, redeemed, 195; His offspring, 180: 
Healing, healing waters, 177: healing leaves, 177: 
Heavens, the, 106: they change, 109, 110: a new 
heaven, 106, 110, 111: 

the new heaven is the bride, 113: the Lamb's 
wife, 113: 
Hero, the, 129: 
Jewish, polity ended, 128: 
Judgment,— 73; for Zion, 77, 79, 80: 

the saints participate, 79; its sorrows, 83; 

enemies only are judged, 82: 
Key, the, to the Kingdom of truth, is Christ and 

the church, 195: 
Lightning, the, 42: 
Lot's wife, 40: 
Names, new and old, 50, 51: old names repeated, 

56 to 60: 
Perfection, man's, anticipated, 33: 
Psalms, 53: 

Revelation, book of, its date, 15 to 153: 
Saints, they share the government, 94: 

opposers still alive, 95: 

they reign to-day, 94, 95: 
Satan, his power limited, 24, 25: 

is already judged, 30: 

his conflict with Christ and he is cast out, 24: 
Schaff, Dr. Philip, 153: 

ix 



SUBJECT INDEX. 

Schools, of thought, and where they differ, 52: 
Seals, their opening, 144, 196: 

their order, 197: 
Scripture, an unfolding, 26, 72: 

Old Testament and New Testament, 174: 

anticipated, 21, 22, 23: 
Sheep and goats, 86: 
Solomon's Song, 175: 
Solution, none existing, 173: 
Sword, 173, 192: 

sword and sealed book are one, 193, 197: 
Tabernacle, the old and new, 59, 60: 

all nations seek it, 76: 
Temple, John's vision of, 135, 136: 

the temple measured, 141, 177: 

the temple grows, 138: 

the temple walls, 139: 

living Christians are the temple, 141, 142: 

John's temple church, 176, 177: 

Ezekiel's temple church, 176, 178: 

temple units, 181: 
Terry, Dr. Milton S., 151: 
Tree of Life, 173: 



ANTICIPATIONS, OR THE GIST OF THE 
GRIST IN A LIST OF SCRIPTURES. 



Below are some anticipatory passages of the 
Scriptures, which ought to predispose the y. - 

reader of this treatise to a thoughtful, studious, 
unbiased investigation of its claims. 

James 5 : 6. "Be ye also patient, stablish James 
your hearts, for the coming of the Lord draweth 
nigh." 

Paul to the Philippians, 4 : 5. "Let your mod- Paul 
eration be known to all men. The Lord is at 
hand'' 

Paul, again addressing the Thessalonians, 
whom he undoubtedly expected were to live 
to see the day of Christ's second coming, said, 
(Thess. 5:2) "For ye know perfectly that the 
day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the 
night," etc. "But ye, brethren, are not in dark- 
ness, that that day should overtake you as a 
thief/' He could not safely have anticipated 
that condition of the church, or of that church 
fifty, five hundred or one thousand years later. 
He could, probably, safely say, from knowledge, 



XI 



ANTICIPATIONS. 

that THEY were not in darkness. This con- 
clusion of Paul here harmonizes him with Paul 
to the Philippians, as above. 
Peter I. Peter 4: 7. "But the end of all things 

is at hand." 
John I. John 2: 18. "Little children, it is the last 

time : and as ye have heard that antichrist shall 
come, even now there are many antichrists, 
whereby we know that it is the last time." This 
"last time," or last day, or hour, is that which 
was spoken of by the prophet Joel thus : 
Joel "And it shall come to pass in the last days, 

saith God, I will pour out my Spirit upon all 
flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall 
prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, 
and your old men shall dream dreams. 

"And on my servants and on my handmaid- 
ens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit: 
and they shall prophesy: 

"And I will shew wonders in heaven above, 
and signs in the earth beneath ; blood, and fire, 
and vapour of smoke : 

"The sun shall be turned into darkness, and 
the moon into blood, before that great and 
notable day of the Lord come : 

"And it shall come to pass, that whosoever 



xn 



ANTICIPATIONS. 

shall call on the name of the Lord shall be 
saved.'' 

It is clear that all of the events named 
here are connectively stated in a way that it ren- 
ders it extremely inconsistent to set them apart 
in time of fulfilment. Most naturally, they must 
connectively come to pass, in course of time, if 
construction of language has anything to do 
with what is meant to be conveyed. Turn to 
the original wording in Joel 2: 28, 29, 30, 31 and 
32, and conviction of this claim will be con- 
firmed. Joel connects all events named, in or- 
der, in immediate connection of time. 

Christ's words, Matt. 10 : 23. "But, when they 
persecute you in this city, flee ye into another, 
for verily I say unto you, ye shall not have gone 
over the cities of Israel till the Son of man be 
come." The fulfilment of this was to be, un- 
doubtedly, within the limit of the time in which 
the cities of Israel were intact as such. 

Matt. 16: 27, 28. "For the Son of man shall 
come in the glory of his Father with his angels : 
and then he shall reward every man according 
to his works. Verily I say unto you, There be 
some standing here, which shall not taste of 



xin 



ANTICIPATIONS. 

death, till they see the Son of man coming in his 
kingdom'' 

This is reiterated in the following, Christ's 
last talk with Peter : John 21 : 18 to 23. "When 
thou wast young thou girdest thyself and walk- 
est whither thou wouldst, but when thou shalt 
be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands and 
another shalt gird thee and carry thee whither 
thou wouldst not. This spake He, signifying by 
what death He should glorify God. And when 
He had spoken this, he saith unto him, Fol- 
low me. Then Peter, turning about, seeth the 
disciple whom Jesus loved following ; which also 
leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, 
which is he that betrayeth thee? Peter, seeing 
him, saith to Jesus, Lord, what shall this man 
do ? Jesus saith unto him, // / will that he tarry 
till I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou 
me. Then went this saying abroad among the 
brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet 
Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, 

Paul again If ^ w ^ ^ at ^ e tarr y tM I come, what is that to 
thee?" Here the fact that John was to outlive 
Peter was put on double record. 

Heb. 10: 37. "For yet a little while, and he 
that shall come will come, and will not tarry." 



xiv 



ANTICIPATIONS. 

The revelation TO BE, which Jesus was to 
give to John, to show unto his servants, were 
"things'' that "were to shortly come to pass." 
See first verse of the first chapter of Revelation. John on 
Then follows a charge, thus (third verse) : "Events at 
"Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear Hand " 
the words of this prophecy, and keep those things 
which are written therein, for the time is at 
hand." This was said of the revelation that John 
was to receive. 

Now of the revelation which he had received, 
see Rev. 22: 6, 7, 10, 11, 12: 

(6) "And he said unto me, These things 
are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the 
holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his 
servants the things which must shortly be done. 
(7) Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that 
keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this 7^ e Angel and 

book ( 10) And he saith unto me, Seal not "The Time at 

the sayings of the prophecy of this book : for the Hand" 
time is at hand. (12) And behold, I come 
quickly ; and my reward is with me, to give every 
man according as his work shall be." This last 
verse is a repetition, in substance, of Matt. 
16:27. 

This verse (11) "He that is unjust, let him 



xv 



ANTICIPATIONS. 



Character — 
Differences 
Remain 



Christ and 
Melchizedek 



Their Offices 
Identical 



be unjust still ; and he which is filthy, let him be 
filthy still; and he that is righteous, let him be 
righteous still; and he that is holy, let him be 
holy still," means that, following this coming, 
the same rule as to sin and holiness shall con- 
tinue as was ever applied. This coming does 
not rule out distinction between saints and sin- 
ners. Still the unjust shall be called unjust, and 
the holy shall be called holy. I cite these Scrip- 
tures, in this introductory, to impress the mind 
with the idea of Christ's present relation to his 
work, and the kind of office he holds connected 
therewith. NOW. It is clearly set forth in Heb. 
6: 20 and Heb. 7: 1, 2, 3, in which there is a 
comparison between Christ and Melchizedek, 
making it clear that the type and the anti-type, 
officially, are identical. Melchizedek was "King 
of Salem and Priest of the Most High God," and 
Jesus Christ was exalted at the right hand of 
God after the order of Melchizedek. "We have 
such an high priest who is set on the right of 
the throne of the Majesty in the Heavens." 
See Heb. 8 : 1-2. To dispel all doubt of Christ's 
holding the double office of king and priest, we 
here reproduce Acts 5: 31. "Him hath God ex- 
alted with his right hand to be a prince and a 



xvi 



ANTICIPATIONS. 

saviour!' The following shows what Christ's 
exaltation at God's right hand means, the ex- 
tent of authority thereby attained. Eph. 1 : 20, 
21, 22, 23 : 

(20) "Which he wrought in Christ, when 
he raised him from the dead, and set him at his 
own right hand, in the heavenly places, (21) Far 
above all principality, and power, and might, 
and dominion, and every name that is named, 
not only in this world, but also in that which is 
to come: (22) And hath put all things under 
his feet, and gave him to be the head over Christ 
all things to the church, (23) which is his body, ' <Kin S T °d*y" 
the fullness of him that filleth all in all." 

Philippians 2: 9, 10. (9) "Wherefore God also 
hath highly exalted him, and given him a name 
which is above every name: (10) That at the 
name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things 
in heaven, and things in earth, and things un- 
der the earth." 

I Peter 3 : 22. "Who is gone into heaven, and 
is on the right hand of God ; angels and author- 
ities and powers being made subject unto him." 
CHRIST IS NOW EXALTED TO KING- 
SHIP. 

Jer. 23 : 5. "Behold the days come, saith the 



xvn 



ANTICIPATIONS. 



Summary of 
"'Contempora- 
neous Events' 



Jeremiah Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous 

"Saw it" branch, and a king shall reign and prosper, and 

shall execute judgment and justice in the 
earth." Christ's sovereignty must be a fact while 
the earth stands, and be a completed reign ere the 
day of his final coming, at which time he gives 
up his office as king, and his kingdom. I Cor. 
15: 24. See Matt. 21 : 4, 5 ; Luke 19: 37, 38; 
John 12: 12 to 15. 

Finally, I propose to make clear, by a thor- 
ough canvass of the subject of this writeup, con- 
sidering everything directly and indirectly bear- 
ing on the question that the Bible furnishes, and, 
I shall venture to hope, not only to prove that 
Christ's Second Coming is a contemporaneous 
event with David's deposal, ivhich was at the de- 
struction of Jerusalem, but that the event is also 
concurrent with the end of the Jewish age, des- 
ignated "the consummation ;" the end of the 
law and the ritual ; and the beginning of the gos- 
pel of grace and truth ; the end of the represen- 
Divers tative church and the beginning of the real ; the 

"Endings and end of its bride period and the beginning of its 
Beginnings" marriage state; the end of the temple and taber- 
nacle which was pitched by man, and the time 
of the setting up of the one pitched by God ; the 



xviu 



ANTICIPATIONS. 

end of the old covenant, the beginning of the 

new; the end of the old earth and heaven state, 

and the beginning of the new earth and heaven 

condition; the end of the Abrahamic seed as by 

Hagar, and the beginning of it as by Sarah ; the 

end of the bondage state, and the beginning of 

the free state; the end of the church state that 

admitted saints and sinners, and the beginning of 

the time when sinners shall be set over on the Rl S h - Han<3 

Men 
left hand and the righteous on the right; when 

there shall be a sharp and clear discernment 

between the righteous and the wicked, between Left_Hand ~ 

him that serveth God and him that serveth him en 

not. See Mai. 3 : 18. 

If the reader shall sometimes feel that some 

of the references to the Scriptures and attempted 

uses are foreign to the subject under discussion, The 

or irrelevant to the argument, he or she will do Author's 

well to withhold judgment until the collateral Request 

claims are all in, meantime allowing no part of 

the same to drop out of the memory. 



xix 



Christ's Second Coming 

Christ as King, When and Where, 
and His Deposal. 



CHAPTER I. 

Seed-Thought or Forecast, as Found in 
God's Promise to Our First Parents after 
Their Fall. 

This is a prominent subject of both the Old 
and the New Testaments. It stands out in bold 
relief, throughout the Bible, beginning with the 
third chapter of the beginning of the books, 
and only ending when the last chapter of the 
final book of the Sacred Canon is closed. "I will 
put enmity between thee and the woman, be- The 
tween thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy Seed-Thought 
head and thou shalt bruise his heel, (Gen. 3: 
15) is the initial wording of the advocacy of a 
very prominent and vital doctrine of the Holy 
Scriptures. It is the beginning of one of the 
threads of the scarlet line that runs through the 
book entire. 



21 



Confusion 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

It is my purpose, in this treatise, to bring 
out the exact and full import of this most won- 
derful forecast of the history of the two impor- 
tant personages referred to in the above Scrip- 
ture passage. Bible students, of all religious 
persuasions, are a unit in opinion as to whom 
the person is who is referred to in the reference 
to the seed of the woman, and are not inharmo- 
nious on the final achievement-question, relating 
to this seed. Yet, there is a strikingly wide dif- 
ference between the various schools over the 
WHEN, and HOW and WHERE. At this late 
day, after such a vast amount of ably written 
matter, put in book form and otherwise, from 
the various religious standpoints, it may seem 
to some presumptuous to attempt further exam- 
ination into this subject. 

It is with much pleasure, and great profit, 
that I have read and compared the various 
treatises on the question of Christ's Second 
Advent and His Reign. The result of my re- 
search I have put in this concise form, thinking 
that it will be enough to awaken anew an inter- 
est in a Bible subject, the importance of which, 
when it is considered how it bears upon all 
other Scripture questions, is of no small 



22 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

moment. Having a stern and stubborn convic- 
tion that the process of the fulfillment of this 
first and, thus far, only cited Scripture, com- 
menced at the time of its utterance, and has, 
up to this moment, progressed in realization to Progressive 
a degree most marvelously significant, and will Realization 
from this go on achieving what the words con- 
template in greatly increased force, in impor- 
tance and magnitude, until the last opposition 
to Christ's reign is obliterated, I therefore 
write under the inspiration and strength of a 
full persuasion. 

This passage of Scripture contains the essence 
and forecast of a most wonderful history. It 
is a statement, in fact, of theological importance 
as momentous as any other question in the entire 
category of vital subjects in our holy religion. 
It is a prophetic statement, the working value, 
application, and outcome of two forces of 
opposite nature and intent, of such import that 
no Bible student can afford to overlook it. 
Satan, or adversary, is the character as a Christ 
power, and agency, referred to on the one side; 
Christ, helper or Saviour, is the character and 
agency referred to on the other side. The 
Bible is clear in its teaching that they are en- 

23 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

gaged in deadly conflict; and it ought to be a 
matter of the highest interest and importance 
to the churches concerning the outcome, both 
progressively and finally. 

One general, means the utter ruin of our best 
interests, and the overthrow of our purposes 
to rise and advance along the lines of truth, 
righteousness and healthful prosperity. The 
other general, intends to secure to us a perpet- 
ual inheritance of just that which the first 
named leader proposes to defeat. My own in- 
vestigation and observations, thus far, confirm 
Christ is me in the opinion, yea, strong conviction, that 

Conqueror Christ is conqueror, and that the prospects are 
that he will completely rout his enemy, and 
eventually secure undisputed sway over all the 
earth. I further avow it as my belief, that the 
beginning of the successful siege, the working 
out, and up to the GRAND end, dates back to 
the utterance, "I will put enmity between thee 
and the woman, between thy seed and her seed ; 
it shall bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise 
his heel." The significance of this language is 
that the serpent's (Satan's) power is limited, 
and that his work follows only in the wake of 
Christ's work; and that his offensive and de- 

24 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

fensive blows against the right strike only at 
the heel, and are necessarily in effect only tem- 
porary, but that, on the other hand, Christ's 
work, and the force of it, is directed to the 
head of his adversary and will wound unto the 
death. 

The time of Christ's inaugural as king has 
an historical date, at which time He commenced Christ's 
to reign and rule, with a greater or less degree Inaugural a 
of success ; which reign will continue "until Dat eable 
His foes shall be made His footstool," and until 
there shall be nothing left "that can hurt or 
harm in all God's Holy Mountain." 

The above Scripture passage, in which is a 
reference to the old tempter of our first parents, 
and the seed of the woman, has in it an initial 
seed of a marvelous outcome. He who was 
slain before the foundation of the world, then 
wholly hid to creatures' eyes, must be in process 
of time revealed in the fullest, completest gran- 
deur of His character and work; also the king- 
dom prepared for us, no later than was its king, 
which at its inception, to all intelligences but 
God, could be but the dimmest, darkest realiza- 
tion of its progressive reality and import, must 
at that time shine forth in its richest splendor, 

25 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

at its highest stage of development and glory, 
which will, in the near future, stand forth to 
the gaze of all eyes, as the ONE and ONLY 
all-ruling kingdom of this earth. As this king 
shall be "king of kings and lord of lords," so 
this kingdom shall dominate over all the king- 
doms of this earth. For years I have been in 
violent haste, with intense eagerness, ever in- 
Investigation creasing, to find out what this wonderful Scrip- 
Exhaustive ture forecast anticipates. As thoroughly as I 
have been able, I have examined into the author- 
ized words about it, which words we find in 
the Scriptures. In my investigation I have not 
knowingly overlooked any part of Revelation 
bearing upon the subject; and in my compari- 
sons I am quite sure that results of investiga- 
tion do not drive me to indifference, or studied 
evasion, concerning any part of Revelation 
bearing on the important question of the fore- 
cast of Genesis 3:15, realized or enacted in the 
life, death and resurrection of Christ. Believing 
as I do that Paul's words, as recorded in Cor. 
1:15, verses 22 to 28 inclusive, must be a ref- 
erence to the passage of Scripture that I have 
already reproduced, and a statement, in fact, 
the import of which tallies exactly with the ap- 

26 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

parent forecast of the same. I, therefore, be- 
cause of this, feel bound to carefully notice 
them. 

They read, "FOR AS IN ADAM ALL DIE, 
EVEN SO IN CHRIST SHALL ALL BE The First 
MADE ALIVE. BUT EVERY MAN IN and Second 
HIS OWN ORDER, CHRIST THE FIRST Adam 
FRUITS; AFTERWARD THEY THAT 
ARE CHRIST'S AT HIS COMING. THEN 
COMETH THE END, WHEN HE SHALL 
HAVE DELIVERED UP THE KINGDOM 
TO GOD, EVEN THE FATHER; WHEN 
HE SHALL HAVE PUT DOWN ALL RULE 
AND ALL AUTHORITY AND POWER. 
FOR HE MUST REIGN UNTIL HE HATH 
PUT ALL ENEMIES UNDER HIS FEET. 
THE LAST ENEMY THAT SHALL BE 
DESTROYED IS DEATH. FOR HE HATH 
PUT ALL THINGS UNDER HIS FEET. 
BUT WHEN HE SAITH ALL THINGS 
ARE PUT UNDER HIM, IT IS MANIFEST 
THAT HE IS EXCEPTED, WHICH DID 
PUT ALL THINGS UNDER HIM. AND 
WHEN ALL THINGS SHALL BE SUB- 
DUED UNTO HIM, THEN SHALL THE 
SON ALSO HIMSELF BE SUBJECT UNTO 

27 



Resigns 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

HIM THAT PUT ALL THINGS UNDER 
HIM, THAT GOD MAY BE ALL IN ALL." 
Expressively, we may as reasonably consider 
this language concise, and clearly intelligible, as 
is any other of the Scriptures on this subject. 
Jesus Con- NOTICE: Christ reigns till ALL opposition, 
Tl^ll A11> rALL rule, ALL authority, ALL of his enemies 
are under His feet. How could language be 
framed more expressively clear in advocacy of 
a progressive overcoming of opposition than is 
the 25th verse of the above reproduction? The 
language, "afterwards they that are Christ's at 
his coming. Then cometh the end," — the final 
of His reign— when He SHALL HAVE de- 
livered up the kingdom to God, even the Father, 
when He SHALL HAVE put down ALL rule, 
etc., is conclusive in support of a progressive 
overcoming, up to a completion; when the last 
vestige of opposition shall have disappeared. 
Regard this coming of Christ, as here named, 
the first, second, third or any other in order, 
numerically, it matters not, at that coming He 
HAS overcome His last enemy, and is, at this 
stage of His reign, where He must hand over 
His government, the entire trophies of His long 

28 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

siege against sin, to God, the Father, the only 
rightful head in sovereignty, under any name. 

By this language, the moment that Christ is 
completely successful, and triumphant over all 
opposition ; and when righteousness completely Perplexities 
prevails, he is no longer king, SO READS THE Explained 
WORD. But, beside this plain, straightforward 
wording of the case, there is in part of the 
language, comprising the full statement, that 
which is somewhat enigmatical. Yet a little 
patience and careful comparison will result in 
a clear elucidation of that which, on a casual 
notice, is obscure. The 27th and 28th verses of 
this quotation may be that which to the reader 
is seriously problematical. It is, "For he 
HATH put all things under his feet: but when 
he saith all things are put under him, it is 
manifest that he is excepted which did put all 
things under him. And when all things shall 
be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also 
himself be subject unto him that put all things 
under him, that GOD may be all in all." 

In this is the singular statement, "All things 
ARE put under Christ" : Yet, there is coupled 
with it a strange modification : apparently, a sort 
of a denial. I think, however, the solution is 



29 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

not difficult. The word "excepted" must be un- 
derstood to mean exempted, He having con- 
quered FOR HIMSELF, having made HIM- 
SELF the first fruit of victory over all sin, all 
opposition to HIS will and work, He is, there- 
fore, exempt from further personal conflict with 
His enemies. This He has done as an exempli- 
fication of possibility in every individual case. 
This victory He does not hand over to us as a 
substitution for trial and triumph, but as an 
example, that we may know that we can do as 
He has done, conquer as He has conquered. 
Further, the obvious meaning of this partially 
obscure wording is that that which has been 
wrought out in Christ has not become fully ef- 
fective. Men universally have not wrought out 
this victory, shown to be possible for EVERY 
life, by the life of Christ. Christ is authority 
for things done that are not manifest. "NOW 
is the judgment of this world, NOW is the 
Prince of this world cast out." The judgment 
HAS come and Satan IS cast out, and bound, 
but to the greater part of the world still it is 
an unrealized fact. It is inoperative in the lives 
of men, only because it is for one reason or 
another objected to. Christ's victory does not 



30 



but not 
Realized as 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

attain, IN FACT, FULLY, because it is not 
accepted. God in Christ, on the occasion of 
Christ's victory was IN HIM, "ALL," the Things 
"ALL" of Christ ; and is only waiting for occu- Affected 
pancy in ALL hearts and lives that He may be 
"ALL IN ALL," and all to all. That which has y~ 
been accomplished in Christ, but is, as yet, in the 
human family unrealized, is forcibly put in the 
following language, (see Heb. 2: 6-10) "But 
one in a certain place testified saying, What is 
man that thou art mindful of him? or the Son 
of Man, that thou visitest him? Thou madest 
him a little lower than the angels : Thou 
crownedst him with glory and honor, and didst 
set him over the works of thy hand. Thou hast 
put ALL things in subjection under his feet. 
For in that he put ALL in subjection under 
him, he left NOTHING that is not put under 
him. But NOW we see not yet ALL things put 
under him. But we see Jesus, Who was made a 
little lower than the angels for the suffering 
of death, crowned with glory and honor; that 
He by the grace of God should taste death for 
every man. For it became Him (God) for 
whom are all things in bringing many sons into 
glory to make the captain of their salvation per- 
fect through suffering." 
31 



CHAPTER II. 



Period of 
Jesus 



The Present Tense of Christ's Kingship. 

Christ has ALREADY subjugated all opposi- 
tion. He has ALREADY inflicted the death 
wound in the head of the "old serpent," and is 
NOW captain of the conquering host, leading 
on to its full realization in the governments of 
The the earth, and in all hearts and lives, everywhere 

Official un( ier the sun. AS TO WHEN the process and 

progress of subduing the enemies of Christ be- 
gan under His personal leadership, depending 
on Scripture evidences, we may cite: "For 
David himself said by the Holy Ghost, the Lord 
said unto my Lord (Christ) sit thou on my 
right hand till I make thine enemies thy foot- 
stool."— Mark 12: 36. "This Jesus hath God 
raised up, whereof we are all witnesses. There- 
fore being at the right hand of God exalted, and 
having received of the Father the promise of 
the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which 
ye now see and hear. For David is not as- 
cended into the heavens: but he saith himself, 
The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my 

32 



Ideal 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

right hand, until I make thy foes thy foot- 
stool." — Acts 2: 32-35. This fact alone, so 
clearly stated, precludes Christ's final coming 
till His enemies are subdued. See also Luke 
20: 41-44 and Heb. 10: 12-14. 

The fourteenth verse of this last reference, 
by the way of confirming the claim, that WHAT- 
EVER is to be eventually realized, as the out- 
come of Christ's reign and rule, and as an already 
accomplished thing, is forcible. "He HATH 
perfected them that are sanctified," gives clearly The 
the idea, as does Col. 2: 13, 14. Here Christ Perfect© 
"HATH forgiven us ALL trespasses." ALL 
THAT WE ARE TO HAVE, OR BE, is to be 
understood as having been effected. Thus also 
when we pray, for best and surest results, we 
should believe that we "receive NOW the things 
we desire," or, as worded in the Revised Ver- 
sion, "believe we have received." See Mark 
11: 24. The exact wording of the two versions 
is, 1st, "Therefore I say unto you, what things 
soever ye desire when ye pray believe that ye 
receive them, and ye shall have them." 2nd. 
"Therefore I say unto you, All things whatso- 
ever you pray and ask for, believe that ye 
HAVE received them and ye shall have them." 

33 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

The Prince of this world is judged AL- 
READY. In the following wording is the author- 
ity: "NOW is the judgment of this world, 
NOW is the prince of this world cast out." 
Satan is now in chains and is powerless to tempt 
him who, in God's might, decrees otherwise. 
See John 12: 31. We know that "whosoever is 
born of God, sinneth not, but he that is begotten 
of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one 
toucheth him not." See I John 5 : 18. Jesus 
says, "the prince of this world cometh and hath 
nothing in me." I throw in here these quota- 
tions to provide against the serious misappre- 
hensions that Bible students are liable to make 
by a cursory examination into its teachings on 
the subject herein treated. 

Christ says, "I am Alpha and Omega, the be- 
ginning and ending, which is and which was, 
and which is to come, the Almighty — the first 
and the last." An overlooking of the full im- 
port of this important sentiment is enough to 
secure an utter failure in apprehending the 
teachings of the Scriptures, relative to the pre- 
existence of things not yet manifest, or, in other 
words, REALITIES SECURED THAT WAIT 
THEIR TIME OF MANIFESTATION IN 



34 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

THE LIVES OF MEN, IN THE CHURCH 
AND THE WORLD. 

In treating the subject of Christ's reign, or Caution 
His kingdom, either of which cannot be duly 
considered apart, one from the other, it is vitally 
important that this feature of the question be 
carefully considered. Being ignorant of this 
part of the method of the treatise, one is liable 
to go partially or wholly astray in conclusions. 
Returning now to the question of Christ's reign 
as presented in the words : "The Lord said unto 
my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand until I 
make thy foes thy footstool." We will resume 
the study of it from various standpoints. Thus 
far the Scripture quotations bearing on the sub- 
ject in hand, seem unquestionably in support of yc"^-^ 
the claim that Christ is NOW on His kingly K - 
throne; and is veritably reigning as king; the 
termination of which can only be when Christ 
is ready to come again as represented in I Cor. 
15 : 23, 24, at which time He is to deliver up 
His kingdom. There is often a strenuous and, 
I think, a straining attempt to show that any 
proof texts that are furnished in support of a 
present kingdom with which Christ has any con- 
nection is a kingdom of grace MERELY; and 

35 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 



One 

Kingdom 

with 

Two Names 



Christ 

Answers the 
Pharisees as 
to the "Day" 



is not to be confounded with the kingdom over 
which He is to reign as king. 

Let us examine particularly into this claim. 
The Pharisees came to Jesus, as recorded in 
Luke 17: 20, and "demanded of him when the 
kingdom of God should come." Christ, in the 
seventeen verses following, answers the ques- 
tion. This kingdom, here called the kingdom 
of God, is, by the way of distinction, called by 
some theologians the kingdom of grace. Advo- 
cates of Christ's still future coming, and his final 
and unending reign, seem forced to this position, 
since by full and fair comparison the date of 
the coming of this kingdom appears to antedate 
the time of what is generally denominated the 
end of the world. But whatever may be the 
position of Bible students on the question of 
TIME, one thing is certain, and very prominent- 
ly so, namely this, the kingdom of God referred 
to in the question of the Pharisees is by the 
answer of Christ confounded with "THE 
DAY," or "ONE of the days of the Son of 
Man," or a day called "HIS DAY," or the 
"DAY IN WHICH THE SON OF MAN IS 
REVEALED." The setting up the kingdom of 



36 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

God is here made identical with these days 
named. See verses 22, 26 and 30. 

First, by Christ's reply to the question of the 
Pharisees, we are instructed as to the NA- 
TURE of the kingdom. It is not, regarding 
the proper use and significance of language, a 
visible appearance. The natural eye does not, 
nor can see it. "The kingdom of God 
cometh not with OBSERVATION," is the plain 
and simple wording. Paraphrasing upon this 
is needless. 

Next, THIS KINGDOM CANNOT BE The Kingdom 
LOCATED IN ANY ONE PARTICULAR ^ ot *£*** 
SPOT, OR PART OR SPACE OF GROUND s ° tic a k » " 
SURFACE. It cannot be placed subject to 
bounds. In keeping with this, we cite Christ's 
own words: "Neither shall they say, lo here, 
or lo there, for behold, the kingdom of God is 
within you." The evident significance of this 
language is easily apprehensible. Localization 
of the kingdom of God limits it to a particular 
place. Establish that it is in a particular local- 
ity, within limit, and you prove that it is not 
in any other place. To avoid this serious blun- 
der, therefore the caution, "Neither shall they 
say lo here, or lo there," therefore consistently 

37 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

we are to look for and locate the kingdom of 
God as we would the UNIVERSAL PRINCI- 
PLE OF LIFE. As life is in everything that 
lives, and is everywhere, to obtain in various 
forms of expression, indefinitely, so the king- 
dom of God, in essence, universally prevails, and 
is at every point to be expressed conformable to 
conditions. CONJUNCTIVELY this kingdom 
and Christ's coming, or His day, obtains, here 
or there, as conditions may admit. This coming, 
as mentioned, relates to form or manner of ex- 
pression; which, on the date or time specified, 
was to be SOMETHING NEW; not new, as 
to matter of fact, in essentiality or principle. 

XT , This is not a creation or a new thing - in that 

New and & 

Not New sense, but a re-establishing of an OLD PRIN- 

CIPLE IN A NEW FORM. The day in 
which this was to occur is easily located. In 
the following comparisons is the establishing 
proof. "Even thus it shall be in THE DAY 
WHEN THE SON OF MAN IS RE- 
VEALED. In THAT day he that shall be on 
the housetop and his stuff in the house, let him 
not come down to take it away, and he that is 
in the field let him likewise not return back. 
This is an injunction which is to be heeded on 

38 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

the day in which Christ is to be revealed. See 

Luke 17: 30, 31. And I submit that its likeness 

to one given on the occasion of Jerusalem being One Answer 

surrounded with armies CONFOUNDS THE to the Two 

TWO EVENTS IN POINT OF TIME, and Questions 

makes the transactions contemporaneous. In « T tt AT day" 

Matt. 24: 15-18, it reads, "When ye, therefore, 

shall see the abomination of desolation spoken 

of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy 

place," etc. "Then let them which be in Judea 

flee into the mountains. Let him which is on 

the housetop not come down to take anything 

out of his house. Neither let him which is in 

the field return back to take his clothes." This, 

to my mind, is sufficient to IDENTIFY THE 

TWO EVENTS IN RELATION TO TIME 

TRANSACTION. Most naturally I believe, if 

a Bible student has not some pet theory to bolster 

up, he will readily concede, on recognition of 

the inevitable in this comparison, that THE 

DAY IN WHICH THE SON OF MAN IS 

REVEALED IS THE DAY, OR TIME, 

WHEN DAVID IS DEPOSED, which WAS 

A. D. 70. The event afforded an occasion for 

just such an expediency as was urged. (See 

Adam Clark and others of good authority, as 

39 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

Bible expositors.) Then there is not the least 
chance to imagine, or the slightest show to sup- 
pose, that such a charge could apply on the 
occasion of the ending up of all earthly things. 
That day, as it is commonly understood, would 
not admit of the thought of such a makeshift, 
or provision for the future, because on the oc- 
casion of Christ's coming at the end of time, 
what will a man be supposed to want with his 
Why household goods, or the garment that he shall 

Think of the chance to leave in the fields ? Any claim to the 

Stuff if the e £f eC |- that a person on such an occasion would 
Day be . 

FINAL bethink himself as still having such natural 

needs, is absurd. Then, further, the admonition 
to "remember Lot's wife" breaks completely the 
backbone of the claim that this event is the 
final wind-up of man's earthly probation, and 
the very threshold of his eternal destiny. 

The fact that a man at this juncture, accord- 
ing to church opinion, is either saved or lost, 
renders an admonition of this nature prepos- 
terous in the extreme. Then, again, here is this 
singular information concerning that final mo- 
ment of man's earth-life, just at the critical 
point when he is startled with the knowledge 
of an immediate transfer from this to the other 



40 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

world, he is reminded that "whosoever shall 
seek to save his life shall lose it." The end of 
the world, the day which is to usher in Christ's 
final advent, and the general judgment, and, as 
some believe, the first literal resurrection of the 
dead, cannot be, in consistency, an occasion for 
trying to run, hide, fight for life, or in any way 
for the making attempt to save life; or, even 
the saving of anything connected therewith in 
the nature of material valuables. Requirements 
of this nature, connected with such an event as 
the end of the world, or the judgment day, is 
inadmissible. The only easy and natural way 
of fixing the time of the coming of the kingdom 
of God, i. e., the day in which Christ was to be 
revealed, is to leave it to the force of the teach- 
ing, as it appears in the description as given in 
the two verses recorded in Matt. 24: 15-18 and 
Luke 17: 30-33. 

Once again, and finally, on Christ's answer 
to the Pharisees concerning the time of the 
kingdom of God, when the disciples of our 
Lord inquired of Him to know WHERE they 
might look to find the event, or the accompany- 
ing transpirings, such as He had named would 
attend the appearing of the kingdom of God, 



41 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 



and Carcass' 



The 

Argument 
of the 
"Lightning 



The He answered: "Wheresoever the body is, 

Argument thither will the eagles be gathered together." 
of .**!!! <<Eag J es Now, coupling the above with this, another part 
of this one, and the same description, in the 
reply, namely this: "FOR AS THE LIGHT- 
NING THAT SHINETH IN THE ONE 
PART UNDER HEAVEN AND SHINETH 
UNTO THE OTHER PART UNDER 
HEAVEN SO ALSO SHALL THE SON OF 
MAN BE IN HIS DAY"; and then compar- 
ing this with Matt. 24: 27, 28 which reads: "For 
as the lightning cometh out of the east and 
shineth even unto the west, so shall also the 
coming of the Son of Man be." For whereso- 
ever the carcass is, "there will the eagles be 
gathered together." We have in this an infal- 
lible guide to the truth ; and this will furnish 
a strong remonstrance against any who may 
dare to think, or advocate, that the two events, 
the destruction of Jerusalem and the coming of 
the Son of Man, as here presented, transpire 
remotely apart in time, or even so far apart as 
only a few days. NOTICE, now, in particular, 
that the language fixing the place WHERE the 
disciples were to look for the location of the 
day WHEN the Son of Man was to be revealed, 



42 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

which revealing is the same as the time and 
place of the coming of the kingdom of God, is 
the identical language used to locate the destruc- 
tion of Jerusalem. CHRIST'S REIGN, AS . Here Christ's 
KING, COMMENCES THE MOMENT Reign Begins 
THAT DAVID'S RULE, OR KINGDOM, 
CEASES. "Unto us a child is born, unto us 
a son is given, and THE government shall be 
upon HIS shoulder, and his name shall be called 
Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The 
everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of 
the increase of his government, and peace,, there 
shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and 
upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish 
it with judgment, and with justice from hence- 
forth even forever." Christ is here represented 
as TAKING UPON HIS SHOULDER A 
GOVERNMENT, AND SO CONDUCTING 
IT THAT IT SHALL INCREASE WITH- 
OUT END. If this increase is, in part, numer- 
ical accessions, and can we not fairly suppose 
that the meaning of increase, in this connection, 
implies that, THEN GROWTH UP TO THE 
END OF HIS REIGN IS THE MEANING. 
The eleventh chapter of Isaiah, the first part to 
the tenth verse, is clearly in line with the above, 

43 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

as cited from Is. 9: 6, 7. It is in part, "And 
there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of 
Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots: 
and the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, 
the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the 
spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowl- 
Results edge and of the fear of the Lord: and shall 

Under Him make him of quick understanding in the fear 
of the Lord ; and he shall not judge after the 
sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hear- 
ing of his ears : But with righteousness shall 
he judge the poor, and reprove with equity, for 
the meek of the earth; and he shall smite the 
earth with the rod (word) of his mouth, and 
with the breath (spirit) of his lips shall he slay 
the wicked. And righteousness shall be the 
girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle 
of his reins." In the light of such Scriptures 
as these are, in both the Old and New Testa- 
ments, bearing on the question of CHRIST'S 
SUCCESSION fTO DAVID'S THRONE, I 
think it must, in all fairness, be conceded that 
the SUCCESSION TRANSPIRED IMME- 
DIATELY ON DAVID'S BEING DE- 
POSED; or, rather, perhaps, his kingdom be- 
ing ended. The words of the angelic messen- 

44 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

ger to Mary, the mother of Jesus, were: "Fear 
not, Mary, for thou hast found favor with God, 
and behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and 
bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name 
Jesus. He shall be great and shall be called 
the son of the Highest, AND THE LORD 
GOD SHALL GIVE UNTO HIM THE 
THRONE OF HIS FATHER DAVID, AND 
HE SHALL REIGN OVER THE HOUSE 
OF JACOB FOREVER, AND OF HIS 
KINGDOM THERE SHALL BE NO END." 
If, when He comes finally, He is to give up His 
kingdom to the Father FOREVER, then in The , 
this case of reigning on David's throne can only ~ « « 
mean SO LONG AS TIME SHALL LAST. F j^ 
BUT OF THE DURATION OF HIS KING- Transfer 
DOM IT IS SAID THERE SHALL BE NO 
END. ITS TRANSFER FROM THE SON'S 
HANDS TO THE CHARGE OF THE 
FATHER SECURES ITS PERPETUITY. 

To me it appears unnecessary to further pile 
up quotations to bring more fully into light that 
which is so plainly obvious by these last two 
citations ; yet, for the benefit of any who may 
still question, I shall lengthen the list. In the 
second Psalm, commencing with verse 6, also 

45 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

in Jere. 23: 56, is additional support of the 
claim. The words are, "Yet have I set my 
king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare 
the decree : The Lord hath said unto me, Thou 
art my son: this day have I begotten thee. Ask 
of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for 
thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the 
earth for thy possession." Now it must be seen 
that in THE WORK AND PROGRESSIVE 
ORDER OF REDEEMING THE EARTH, 
CHRIST IS KING. Again, "BEHOLD, THE 
DAYS COME, SAITH THE LORD, THAT 
I WILL RAISE UNTO DAVID A RIGHT- 
EOUS BRANCH, and a king shall reign and 
prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice 
IN THE EARTH. IN HIS DAY JUDAH 
SHALL BE SAVED, AND ISRAEL SHALL 
DWELL SAFELY, AND THIS IS THE 
NAME WHEREBY HE SHALL BE 
CALLED, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUS- 
NESS." 



46 



CHAPTER III. 



Christ's Government Seat. 



He who believes that Christ's reign as king 
does not commence till the Jews, as a people, 
are saved and restored to their ancient temple- 
place and country-home, or, perhaps until He 
appears finally, to raise from their graves the 
righteous dead, must maintain their position 
quite independent of such Scriptures as the 
above. Their use, as can be clearly seen, is in 
support, as they plainly read, that CHRIST IS 
DAVID'S IMMEDIATE SUCCESSOR. That 
Christ came as the King of the Jews, and was 
regarded as the legitimate heir to the throne of 
David by His adherents, is a matter of authori- 
tative record. And, it may be said, if they la- 
bored under a mistaken view, why should not 
Christ have corrected it, as He had many oppor- 
tunities afforded in which He could have done 
so. NEVER, to the contrary, did He once say, 
or even hint. ALL OF HIS COMMITTALS 
ON THE QUESTION, directly or indirectly, 
WERE CONSISTENT WITH PROPHECY, 



Christ is 
David's 
Immediate 
Successor 



47 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

which, in its abundant references to the coming 
of Christ, often referred to Him as the coming 
king. The following from Zechariah 9: 9, 10, 
forecasts Christ's earthly kingship, "Rejoice 
greatly, O daughter of Zion, shout, O daughter 
of Jerusalem, behold thy king cometh unto thee, 
he is just and lowly, and riding upon an ass, 
and upon a colt the foal of an ass." "And I 
will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the 
horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall 
be cut off, and he shall speak peace unto the 
heathen, and his dominion shall be from sea even 
to sea, and from the rivers even to the ends of 
the earth." 
Acknowledged This prophecy gives an occasion for reference 
Realization to THE RECORD OF ITS FULFILLMENT 
AS FOUND IN MATT. 21: 4, 5. "All this 
was done that it might be fulfilled which was 
spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daugh- 
ter of Sion, Behold thy king cometh unto thee, 
meek and sitting upon an ass, a colt the foal of 
an ass." Further along in this record He is 
called the son of David, i. e., HIS HEIR TO 
THE THRONE. In Mark's representation of 
Christ as David's successor, in place of calling 
Him David's son, He is referred to in His office 



48 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

and dominion, which is an equivalent. See 
Mark 11: 9, 10. "And they that went betore 
and they that followed cried saying, Hosanna! 
Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the 
Lord: BLESSED BE THE KINGDOM OF 
OUR FATHER DAVID THAT COMETH 
IN THE NAME OF THE LORD." No more 
direct and explicit language need be employed 
to prove that DAVID'S KINGDOM WAS TO 
BE PERPETUATED, THOUGH NO MORE 
IN HIS NAME, BUT IN THE NAME OF 
THE LORD, CHRIST. Sometimes, however, 
in referring to Christ, in prophecy, as David's 
successor, He is called David. Below are ex- 
amples. God, in showing Jeremiah the return 
of the Jews, after their long and serious griev- 
ances by captivity and general scattering 
throughout the nations of the earth, says : "Alas ! 
for that day is great so that none is like it. 
It is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he 
shall be saved out of it: For it shall come to 
pass IN THAT DAY, saith the Lord of Hosts, 
that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and 
will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more 
serve themselves of him: BUT THEY SHALL 
SERVE THE LORD THEIR GOD, AND 



49 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

Christ the DAVID THEIR KING, WHOM I SHALL 

True David RAISE UP UNTO THEM." See Jer. 30: 7, 
8, 9. Also in Ezek. 37: 24, 25, CHRIST IS 
REFERRED TO AS DAVID, thus, "And 
David my servant shall be king over them (over 
the Jews after their restoration from the valley 
of dry bones) : and they shall have one shep- 
herd ; they also shall walk in my judgments, and 
observe my statutes, and do them. And they 
shall dwell in the land that I have given unto 
Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have 
dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they 
and their children, and their children's children, 
forever: AND MY SERVANT DAVID 
SHALL BE THEIR PRINCE FOREVER." 
Jacob, Joseph, Judah, and Israel are NAMES 
GIVEN TO THE SPIRITUAL HOUSE 
THAT IS TO SUCCEED THE SPIRITUAL 
HOUSE OF DAVID. "Now, they that are 
Christ's are Abraham's seed according to the 
promise," CONTAINS THE EXPLANA- 

Old Names TI ON, OR KEY TO IT. 

Survive The TRANSFER from the temporal to the 

spiritual IS NOT A CHANGE OF NAME, as 
scripturally treated. Thus, when the house of 
Jacob is spoken of, as a future realization, it 



50 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

must be understood to mean the Church univer- 
sal. The old Israel, or Zion, once literal and 
earthly, becomes the new in the sense as con- 
veyed in Heb. 12 : 18-23. "For ye are not come 
unto the mount that might be touched. But ye 
are come unto Mount Sion, and unto the city 
of the living God, the HEAVENLY JERU- 
SALEM," etc. This, further along in the same 
chapter, says Paul, is the kingdom that we 
HAVE RECEIVED (see verse 28). Scripture 
proofs are abundant in support of the claim that 
THE NAMES of the old Jewish church ARE 
PRESERVED TO APPLY TO THE NEW. 
I will cite one more example where prophecy 
refers to Christ as David. See Hosea 3 : 4, 5. 
"For the children of Israel shall abide many days 
without a king, and without a prince, and with- 
out a sacrifice, and without an image, and with- 
out an ephod, and without a teraphim : AFTER- 
WARDS SHALL THE CHILDREN OF 
ISRAEL RETURN, AND SEEK THE LORD 
THEIR GOD, AND DAVID THEIR KING; 
and shall fear the Lord and his goodness in the 
latter days." Thus, AS CHRIST IN HIS 
REIGN, AS KING, IS DAVID, SO THE 
HOUSE OVER WHICH HE REIGNS IS 



51 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

JUDAH, ISRAEL, JERUSALEM, AND THE 
HOUSE OF JACOB, or THE HOUSE OF 
DAVID. In the following is an additional con- 
Growth of tribution to the above claim. See Jer. 33 : 15, 
King and 16, 17. "IN THOSE DAYS AND IN THAT 

Kingdom TIME, will I cause the BRANCH OF RIGHT- 

EOUSNESS TO GROW UP UNTO DAVID 
(mark the expression grow up) and he shall 
execute judgment and righteousness in the land. 
In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jeru- 
salem shall dwell safely, AND THIS IS THE 
NAME WHEREWITH SHE SHALL BE 
CALLED, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUS- 
NESS. For thus saith the Lord, DAVID 
SHALL NEVER WANT (LACK) A MAN 
TO SIT UPON THE THRONE OF THE 
HOUSE OF ISRAEL." I believe there is no 
disagreement, among Bible students of the vari- 
ous religious creeds, over who this Righteous 
Branch is, who was to grow up unto David. The 
only difference of opinion is as to WHEN, 
HOW and WHERE. OVER THIS COMES 
THE CONFUSION. 



52 



CHAPTER IV. 



David's Throne — Its Continuance and 
Absorption. 

Let us study the question of the perpetuation The 
of David's throne and kingdom from the stand- View-Point 
point of the 89th Psalm, verses 3 to 37. The of the 
reader should turn to it and read the Psalm en- 
tire. I need only reproduce here the 3rd, 4th, 
19th, 20th, 21st, 25th, 29th, 34th, 35th, 36th and 
37th verses. "I have made a covenant with my 
chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant, 
Thy seed will I establish forever, and build up 

thy throne to all generations Then thou 

spakest in a vision to thy holy one and saidst, 
I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have 
exalted one chosen out of the people: I have 
found David my servant; with my holy oil have 
I anointed him ; with whom my hand shall be es- 
tablished; I will beat down his foes before his 
face, and plague them that hate him. His seed 
also will I make to endure forever, and his 
throne as the days of heaven. Once have I 
sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto 

53 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 



David's 
Throne 
Perpetuated 



The Seed 
Set Up 



David. His seed shall endure forever ana his 
throne as the sun before me. It shall be estab- 
lished forever as the moon, and as a faithful 
witness in heaven." 

The Psalm is a setting forth the kingdom of 
David as it existed under the first covenant, and 
as it now is, and shall be perpetuated under the 
new. In other words, it is a description of a 
kingdom set up WITH DAVID AS KING, and 
continued in his successors as HIS KINGDOM, 
i. e., David's kingdom, which ENDED VISI- 
BLY, and is to be TRANSFERRED AND 
PERPETUATED under the rule and reign of 
the SPIRITUAL DAVID, CHRIST. THIS 
KINGDOM LITERALLY BEGINS WITH 
THE BEGINNING OF THE REIGN OF 
DAVID, THE SON OF JESSE, AND IS 
CONTINUED UNDER DAVID UNTIL HIS 
DEPOSAL, WHICH WAS IN THE YEAR 
A. D. 70. The meaning of the ending of the 
one and the beginning of the other is expressed 
by the word TRANSITION. 

In II Samuel 7: 12-16, we have the por- 
traiture of David's kingdom thus: "And when 
thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with 
thy fathers, I WILL SET UP THY SEED 



54 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

AFTER THEE, which shall proceed out of thy 

bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He 

shall build a house for my name, and I WILL 

ESTABLISH THE THRONE OF HIS 

KINGDOM FOREVER. I will be his father 

and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, 

I will chasten him with the rod of men. But 

my mercy shall not depart from him, as I took 

it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. 

And thine house AND THY KINGDOM 

SHALL BE ESTABLISHED FOREVER 

BEFORE THEE: THY THRONE SHALL 

BE ESTABLISHED FOREVER." 

The 
Here is another in Jer. 33 : 20, 21, 22. "Then . 

saith the Lord: IF YE CAN BREAK MY Argume^T 
COVENANT OF THE DAY, AND MY COV- 
ENANT OF THE NIGHT, and that there shall 
not be day and night in the seasons, THEN 
MAY ALSO MY COVENANT BE BROKEN 
WITH DAVID MY SERVANT, THAT HE 
SHOULD NOT HAVE A SON TO REIGN 
UPON HIS THRONE; and with the Levites, 
the priests, my ministers. As the hosts of heaven 
cannot be numbered, neither the sands of the 
sea be measured, so will I multiply the seed of 
David my servant, and the Levites that minister 

55 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

unto me." Perhaps it will not be readily under- 
stood what is meant by the expression "I will 
multiply the Levites," as this language, without 
due reflection, might lead the Bible student into 
the belief that this must refer to the Levitical 
The Levite— tribe of the Jews, but I think if we turn to the 
Argument ^ third chapter of Malachi it will readily appear 
by Malachi ^at these ministers, called the sons of Levi, is 
the PROPHETIC TITLE (or name) FOR 
MINISTERS IN THE SPIRITUAL HOUSE 
OF THE LORD. 

In the first verse of the chapter there is 
mention made of the Lord (Christ) who was 
to suddenly come to his temple. The second 
verse speaks of THAT DAY as a time in which 
character is to be tested as by fire. The third 
continues the thought, and designates that day 
as one in which THE SONS OF LEVI 
SHALL BE PURGED. The fourth refers to 
the time in which Judah and Jerusalem shall 
bring a pleasant (agreeable) offering. This 
PURIFICATION of the sons of Levi, and the 
HEALTH of Judah and Jerusalem, NOTICE, 
follows as THE RESULT OF THE LORD'S 
COMING TO HIS TEMPLE, and did not 
apply to the OLD JEWISH CHURCH, and 



56 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

mu!st therefore have reference TO SPIRIT- 
UAL JUDAH AND JERUSALEM, and her 
ministers. If it is necessary further to make 
clear to the reader that the NEW CHURCH 
ORDER UNDER CHRIST IS STILL TO BE 
TITLED ZION, ISRAEL, JUDAH, or other 
such names as were given to the OLD REP- 
RESENTATIVE CHURCH, we have only to 
cite the following proof texts. Isaiah says of 
Zion, speaking of her future, after her LAW 
RULE WAS TO EVENTUALLY AND 
FOREVER CEASE, "And I will turn my 
hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy 
dross, and take away all thy tin; And I will 
RESTORE thy judges as at the first, and thy 
counsellors AS AT THE BEGINNING; after- 
ward thou shalt be called THE CITY OF 
RIGHTEOUSNESS, THE FAITHFUL 
CITY. Zion shall be redeemed with judg- 
ment, and her converts with righteousness." 
See Is. 1 : 25, 26, 27. The 31st chapter of 
Jeremiah, from the 27th verse to the 34th, in- 
clusive, is language so direct that we need not 
reproduce other passages, which by scores are 
scattered throughout both the Old and New 
Testaments, verifying this claim. 



57 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

God's New It is, "BEHOLD, THE DAYS COME, 

Watch Care SAITH THE LORD, THAT I WILL SOW 
THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL, AND THE 
HOUSE OF JUDAH, WITH THE SEED OF 
MAN, AND WITH THE SEED OF BEAST. 
AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS, THAT 
LIKE AS I HAVE WATCHED OVER 
THEM, TO PLUCK UP, AND TO BREAK 
DOWN, AND TO THROW DOWN, AND 
TO DESTROY, AND TO AFFLICT, SO 
WILL I WATCH OVER THEM, TO 
BUILD, AND TO PLANT, SAITH THE 
LORD. IN THOSE DAYS THEY SHALL 
SAY NO MORE, THE FATHERS HAVE 
EATEN A SOUR GRAPE, AND THE 
CHILDREN'S TEETH ARE SET ON 

¥ .. .. . EDGE. BUT EVERY ONE SHALL DIE 

Individual 

Responsibility FOR HIS OWN INIQUITY: BEHOLD, 
THE DAYS COME, SAITH THE LORD, 
THAT I WILL MAKE A NEW COVE- 
NANT WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL, 
AND WITH THE HOUSE OF JUDAH; 
NOT ACCORDING TO THE COVENANT 
THAT I MADE WITH THEIR FATHERS, 
IN THE DAY THAT I TOOK THEM BY 
THE HAND, TO BRING THEM OUT OF 



58 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

THE LAND OF EGYPT: WHICH MY 
COVENANT THEY BRAKE, ALTHOUGH 
I WAS AN HUSBAND UNTO THEM, 
SAITH THE LORD; BUT THIS SHALL 
BE THE COVENANT THAT I WILL 
MAKE WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL; 
AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAITH THE 
LORD, I WILL PUT MY LAW IN THEIR 
INWARD PARTS, AND WRITE IT IN Heart Law 
THEIR HEARTS; AND WILL BE THEIR 
GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY 
PEOPLE. AND THEY SHALL TEACH 
NO MORE EVERY MAN HIS NEIGHBOR, 
AND EVERY MAN HIS BROTHER, SAY- 
ING, KNOW THE LORD; FOR THEY 
SHALL ALL KNOW ME, FROM THE 
LEAST OF THEM UNTO THE GREAT- 
EST OF THEM, SAITH THE LORD." 

When this new covenant came into effect is 
made obvious by Paul in his epistle to the 
Hebrews, Chap. 8. First, in the chapter, he 
draws the DISTINCTION BETWEEN THE 
EARTHLY TABERNACLE AND THE The 01d and 
HEAVENLY, THE FIRST OF WHICH the New 
WAS PITCHED BY MAN, THE SECOND 
BY GOD. Then he CONTRASTS THE 



59 



TWO COVENANTS, the old and the new, 
and tells us in the last verse of the chapter, 
WHEN THE FIRST IS ANNULLED, AND 
THE SECOND MADE EFFECTIVE. The 
language is, "In that he saith, A new covenant, 
HE HATH MADE THE FIRST OLD. Now 
that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready- 
to vanish away." 

I have written this much on this particular 
point to show that in abrogating the old cere- 
The Survivals monial law, and replacing it by the new, THE 
of the Old in QLD TITLES ARE PRESERVED, AND 
the New THE NEW CHURCH IS PROPERLY THE 

ZION OR ISRAEL OF GOD, THE HOUSE 
OR THRONE OF DAVID; and the KING 
(Christ) IS DAVID. Christ's coming to his 
temple, which temple is the house of Israel, or 
throne of David, is well presented in the 
following comparisons : the 4th chapter of 
Malachi, the last chapter of the book, and the 
final of the Old Testament, is properly THE 
TRANSIT POINT FROM THE OLD TO 
THE NEW, AND IS A CORRECT TREAT- 
ISE OF THE HOW, WHEN AND WHERE 
IT OCCURS. This chapter describes a most 
wonderful event. Our good Adventist friends 

60 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

say AN EVENT STILL TO COME, the one Malachi and 
at which CHRIST IS TO APPEAR "The the Adventisf 
second time without sin unto salvation." The 
how, and the end for which Christ comes is 
correctly stated, and the connection with his 
advent properly made. Here, again, I repro- 
duce Matt. 16 : 27, 28, and enough of what is 
written connectively in the next chapter, in 
which is shown unmistakably the interdepend- 
ence between this and the 4th chapter of 
Malachi, in the way of exposition. The com- 
parison brings out the intended teaching of 
both, as they could not be so well and con- 
vincingly by any other method. Here are the 
words of Christ as recorded in the 16th chapter 
of Matthew : "For the Son of man shall come 
in the glory of his Father with his angels ; and 
then he shall reward every man according to 
his works. Verily I say unto you, There be 
some standing here, which shall not taste of 
death, till they see the Son of man coming in 
his kingdom." Now six (or eight) days after 
this Jesus took Peter, James and John, his 
brother, and bringeth them up into an high 
mountain apart, and was transfigured before 
them. On his coming down, he said to these, 

61 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

his disciples. Tell to no man the vision until 
the Son of man be risen again from the dead." 
The disciples, most naturally, connecting the 
resurrection of Christ with the general resurrec- 
tion, and that with the judgment or with the 
event as described in the 4th chapter of Malachi, 
said: "Why then say the scribes that Elias 
must first come?" To this Jesus answered, 
"Elias truly shall first come and restore all 

a f^ ! an things : But I say unto you, That Elias is 
Mattnew as tc . 

John the come already. Now the disciples understood 

Baptist that Christ spoke of John the Baptist, and they 

rightly understood it, as may be seen by turn- 
ing to Matt. 1 1 : 14, which is a record of Christ's 
own words, which are "And if ye will receive 
it (speaking of John), this is Elias, which was 
for to come" ; The Elias, unquestionably, 
which was named in Mai. 4:5, is the Elias who 
was to precede the "great and dreadful day of 
the Lord." If the reader will turn to Mai. 4: 5, 6, 
and the reference here, and then turn to Luke 
1: and read the 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th and 17th 
verses, especially the latter, he cannot question 
the identification. Now, make out of the first three 
verses of the 4th chapter of Malachi whatever 
one may choose, and without distortion, it is 

62 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

evidently a mention of an event that must fol- 
low closely that of the coming of Elijah, or 
Elias, which is John the Baptist. Both forms 
of orthography answer to the same name, one 
to the Greek, the other to the Hebrew. 



63 



CHAPTER V. 



No Interregnum — Christ's Immediate Oc- 
cupancy of David's Throne. 

It must be discovered by the most ordinary 
Bible student, it seems, to me, if he will but 
notice the connection in which Christ puts his 
own resurrection, and attendant events, to the 
advent of Elias, that such thing as a RE- 
MOTE TIME of fulfillment of the prediction 
of his coming, is impossible. He certainly 
allowed the disciples to entertain the impres- 
sion that his resurrection connected with THAT 
EVENT, named in Malachi, and was concur- 
rently an important part of it. Now in candor 
I ask, Why should Christ allow his disciples 
to connect his resurrection with the advent of 
Elias, if another and a MORE REMOTE 
EVENT was the one intended? If only six 
or eight days before this, Christ had told his 
disciples, "For the Son of man shall come in 
the glory of his Father, with his angels, and 
he shall reward every man according to his 
works. Verily I say unto you, There be some 



64 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

standing here which shall not taste death till 
they see the Son of man coming in his king- 
dom." And if, as Christ indicated, they were 
to live to recount what they had witnessed in 
the mount of transfiguration, after his resur- 
rection; and if they thought, as they evidently 
did, that what Christ referred to, answered to Christ's 
Mai. 4:1, For behold, the day cometh that Coming and its 
shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, Phenomena 
and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and 
the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith 
the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them 
neither root nor branch," most naturally, and 
properly, they could ask, believing that a cer- 
tain prior visit of Elias had not taken place, 
"Why then say the scribes that Elias must first 
come?" And also, I am not able to compre- 
hend how a fairly analytical or logical mind 
can see how to divide in time-transaction be- 
tween the event referred to in the 27th verse 
of Matt. 16: and the one named in the next 
verse, the 28th. Nor can I conceive what rule 
of exegesis would apply to this case of events, 
conjointly referred to, that would MAKE 
THE PROPHECY DIVISIBLE IN FUL- 
FILLMENT BY TWO THOUSAND 



65 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 



Preach "A 
Kingdom at 
Hand" 



YEARS. If there could be found, to any 
extent, much or little, of a direct kind, in both 
or either of the Old or New Testaments, that 
which is corroboratory of Christ's reappearance 
the second time, at a remote date from the 
time of his departure from his earth life, there 
would be some justification for torturing this 
prophecy out of the easy and natural way of 
interpretation. But rather than this, EVERY 
THING in the Bible bearing on the question 
is, a contribution to the view as herein pre- 
sented. When John the Baptist (the Elias 
who was to come) began to preach in the 
wilderness of Judea, he urged the people to 
repentance, giving it as a reason that "the king- 
dom of heaven was at hand." See Matt. 3:1, 
2. When. Jesus began to preach, repentance 
was urged, coupled with the declaration, "For 
the kingdom of heaven is at hand." See Matt. 
4:17. When he sent out the twelve, his first 
chosen, he commanded that they preach saying: 
"The kingdom of heaven is at hand." See 
Matt. 10: 7. That this kingdom is the one 
named by Christ when he says, "For the Son 
of man shall come in the glory of his Father, 
with his angels, and they shall reward every 



66 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

man according to his works/' is evident for 
this and many other reasons most obvious. 
"There be some standing here which shall not 
taste of death till they see the Son of man 
coming in his kingdom"; this, coupled with 
what the disciples spoke when they said, "Why, 
then, say the scribes that Elias must first 
come?" is confirmatory of the above, and is 
not in the least forced. The same thing is to 
be found in Matt. 11: 12, 13, 14. The language 
is: "And from the days of John the Baptist, 
until now, the kingdom of heaven suffereth 
violence and the violent take it by force. For 
all the prophets and the law prophesied until 
John, and if ye will receive it, THIS IS THE 
ELIAS WHICH WAS FOR TO COME." 
The prophets, by explicit description of things 
that were to come to pass, set up this claim, 
and the law prophesied typically to the same 
end. The advent of John the Baptist, and that 
which was to immediately follow, the Old 
Testament prophets, and the law, plainly 
taught, or foreshadowed; and clearly portended 
Christ's kingdom and reign AS THEN BEING 
OPERATIVE ON EARTH, or as being on 
the threshold of the time. The finishing of the 



67 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 



The 

Transition- 
Point and 
The New 
Order 



law and the prophets has a fixed date, authorita- 
tively, Christ, as recorded in Luke 21 : 20, 21, 
22, says: "And when ye shall see Jerusalem 
compassed with armies, then know that the 
desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them 
which are in Judea flee to the mountains, and 
let them which are in the midst of it depart 
out ; and let not them which are in the countries 
enter thereinto : for these be the days of ven- 
geance that all things that are written may be 
fulfilled." In support of the preceding are the 
following Scriptures: 

John the Baptist said, "I indeed baptize you 
with water unto repentance, but he that cometh 
after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not 
worthy to bear, He shall baptize you with the 
Holy Ghost and with fire." This was said to 
the Jews. John's day of baptism lasted only 
so long as the old Jewish rites lasted, and at 
the time of the end, WHICH WAS AT THE 
DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM, i.e., 
the DEPOSAL OF DAVID, CHRIST SUC- 
CEEDED WITH HIS BAPTISM, and FUL- 
FILLED JOHN'S FORECAST OF THE 
NEW KING, AND THE NEW ORDER 
THAT WAS TO SUCCEED. This coming, 



68 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

referred to by John, could in no way be identi- 
fied with Christ's birth, or his first advent into 
the world. In fulfillment of this, thirty years 
must be counted up to this time, (the time of 
this utterance) there remaining only three 
years to fill out the time of his first advent. 
His first coming was to be a period in which 
he was to be "sin for us," i. e., in this time 
he was to "bear our sins in his own body." 
His second coming was to be "without sin unto 
salvation." Having put away sin by his life 
and death, HE COMES THE SECOND 
TIME WITHOUT SIN TO MAKE EF- 
FECTUAL TO US HIS VICTORY OVER 
TRANSGRESSION. His second coming was 
spoken of by his disciples and the apostles as 
being an event near at hand. St. James said 
of it (see James 5:8) "Be ye also patient, 
stablish your hearts, for the coming of the 
Lord draweth nigh." Can a Bible student be 
daring enough to wholly repudiate this Scrip- 
ture? 

Paul to the Philippians 4 : 5, writes, "Let 
your moderation be know unto all men, THE A. D. 62 
LORD IS AT HAND." A person who be- 
lieves that Christ's second coming is still a 

69 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

future event, must discard these passages of 
Scripture outright, or disclaim them as having 
reference to Christ's coming. Can we, who 
believe the Bible to be the Word of God, be so 
rash? Again, Paul to the Thess. 5:4, ad- 
A. D. 52 or 54 dresses them as we would speak to a person, 
or to persons, of an event that we expected 
them to witness in their day. His words to 
them are: "For yourselves know perfectly, 
that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief 
in the night, etc. BUT YE, BRETHREN, 
ARE NOT IN DARKNESS THAT THAT 
DAY SHOULD OVERTAKE YOU AS A 
THIEF." If Bible students want to risk the 
assertion that Paul addressed this language to 
the membership of the church at Thessalonica, 
with a clear knowledge that NEARLY TWO 
THOUSAND YEARS or more DIVIDED 
Caution BETWEEN THEM AND THE EVENT 

UrgeTflere NAMED, AND YET ADDRESSED THEM 
AS THOUGH THEY WERE TO LIVE TO 
SEE IT, they have the effrontery to aver that 
which I dare not venture. The claim that this 
charge and assurance to the Thessalonians was 
intended for all time is supported on strained 
evidences. Paul undoubtedly, as I see it, be- 

70 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

lieved that the brethren, to whom he addressed 
the letter containing the words we have cited, 
WERE TO LIVE TO SEE THE DAY OF 
CHRIST. Does Peter understand the use of 
language sufficiently to be able to express 
clearly and unmistakably what he intends? 
And shall we dare to distort the phraseology 
of the following? He says, I Peter 4: 7, 
BUT THE END OF ALL THINGS IS AT Peter 
HAND, be ye therefore sober and watch unto 
prayer." John says, I John 2 : 18, "Little 
children, IT IS THE LAST TIME, and as ye John 
have heard that antichrist shall come, even now 
are there many antichrists, WHEREBY YE 
MAY KNOW THAT IT IS THE LAST 
TIME." To the same purport as this is the 
following: Acts 2: 16, 17, "But this is that 
which was spoken by the prophet Joel, And it 
shall come to pass IN THE LAST DAYS, Joel 
saith the Lord, I will pour out my spirit upon 
all flesh." The reader should turn to it and 
read the verse entire, and with it the four 
following verses : Heb. 1:1, 2, 3, 4, "And 
God who at sundry times and in divers manners 
spake in time past unto the fathers by the 
prophets, HATH IN THESE LAST DAYS Hebrews 



71 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 



Jude 



SPOKEN UNTO US BY HIS SON whom 
he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom 
he also made the worlds." He by whom God 
made the worlds, HIM HATH GOD AP- 
POINTED TO BE HEIR OF THE SAME; 
AND BY HIM WILL GOD SUBDUE THE 
WORLD, AND MAKE HIM LORD OF 
LORDS AND KING OF KINGS OVER 
ALL THE EARTH. The 11th, 12th, 13th, 
14th, 15th and 16th verses of Jude represent 
plainly and unmistakeably a condition that 
existed at the time of the writing of the Epistle. 
In fact the entire chapter is in evidence that 
such a state as Jude described was at the time 
of his writing fully on. The class of people 
of whom the apostle speaks, that had then 
crept into the church, are thus characterized: 
"Woe unto them, for they have gone in the 
way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error 
of Balaam for reward, and perished in the 
gainsaying of Core." "These are spots in 
your feasts of charity, when they feast with 
you, feeding themselves without fear; clouds 
they are without water, carried about of winds ; 
trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice 
dead, plucked up by the roots." NOW, "OF 



72 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

THESE," says the writer, "ENOCH ALSO, 
THE SEVENTH FROM ADAM, PROPHE- 
SIED SAYING, BEHOLD THE LORD 
COMETH WITH TEN THOUSANDS OF 
HIS SAINTS, TO EXECUTE JUDG- 
MENT." IF ENOCH PROPHESIED OF 
THOSE, of whom Jude spoke, it was not 
concerning a PEOPLE OF SOME OTHER 
TIME. JUDE SAYS IT WAS OF THESE 
PEOPLE OF WHOM HE SPOKE THAT Cojoint 
PROPHESIED. In their day, the prophecy Judgment 
avers, that "The Lord will come with ten 
thousand of his saints to execute judgment on 
all; and to convince all that are ungodly among 
them, of all their ungodly deeds which they 
have ungodly committed, and of all their hard 
speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken 
against him." "NOW THESE MUR- 
MURERS AND COMPLAINERS, WALK- 
ING AFTER THEIR OWN LUSTS, WERE 
SPOKEN OF BY THE APOSTLES OF 
OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST AS THOSE J he „ 

WHO WERE TO FLOURISH IN THE WasVhaT 
LAST TIME." Let us reproduce the exact Generation 
language. See verses 17 and 18: "But, be- 
loved, remember ye the words which were 

73 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

spoken before of the apostles of our Lord 
Jesus Christ; How that they told you there 
should be mockers in the last time." The last 
time, or day mentioned in prophecy and re- 
ferred to by the apostles, is, in most cases, so 
worded THAT A MISTAKE IS IMPOS- 
SIBLE, AS TO WHERE WE SHOULD 
PLACE IT. Peter, standing upon the day 
of Pentecost, said of the occasion and wonder- 
ful display of power shed upon the apostles, 
"But this is that spoken by the prophet Joel. 
And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith 
God, I will pour out of my spirit upon all 
flesh." The prophecy of Joel concludes in 
these words, "And it shall come to pass that 
whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord 
shall be delivered, FOR IN MOUNT ZION 
AND IN JERUSALEM SHALL BE DE- 
LIVERANCE." Jesus said, "Salvation is of 
the Jews." See John 4:22. Rejoice greatly, 
O daughter of Zion, shout, O daughter of 
Jerusalem; behold, thy king cometh unto thee, 
he is just and having salvation, lowly and 
riding upon an ass, the foal of an ass." AT 
THIS POINT I WILL REVERT AGAIN 
TO JOEL'S PROPHECY, AND ASK THE 



74 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

READER TO NOTICE VERY CARE- 
FULLY HOW THE PROPHET SETS 
FORTH BOTH THIS OUTPOURING OF 
THE SPIRIT AND THE DELIVERANCE 
WHICH IS TO COME OUT OF ZION, Phenomena 
WITH ACCOMPANYING EVENTS. I will f the 
here reproduce the prophecy so far as is neces- ys 

sary to show the close connection. "And it 
shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour 
out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and 
daughters shall prophecy, your old men shall 
dream dreams, your young men shall see 
visions: And also upon the servants and upon 
the handmaids, in those days, will I pour out 
my spirit. And I will shew wonders in the 
heavens, and in the earth, blood, and fire, and 
pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into 
darkness, and the moon into blood, before the 
great and terrible day of the Lord come. And 
it shall come to pass, that whoever shall call 
on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: 
FOR IN MOUNT ZION AND IN JERU- 
SALEM SHALL BE DELIVERANCE, as 
the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom T , 
the Lord shall call." Using the symbols sun « Sun and 
and moon as evidently employed in Rev. 12 : 1, Moon" Idea 

75 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 



Micah 



Zechariah 



the darkening of the sun must mean the dim- 
ming of the gospel light, that soon followed 
the crucifixion of Christ, and immediately the 
destruction of Jerusalem. The turning of the 
moon into blood must signify that the old law 
is slain, first in the death of Christ, and finally 
and literally in the desolation visited upon 
Jerusalem by the Roman army. "THE LAST 
DAY" idea is well and clearly presented in 
Is. 2: 1, 2, 3, and 4: "The word that Isaiah 
the prophet saw concerning Jerusalem," reads, 
"And it shall come to pass in THE LAST 
DAYS, that THE MOUNTAIN OF THE 
LORD'S HOUSE SHALL BE ESTAB- 
LISHED IN THE TOP OF THE MOUN- 
TAINS, AND SHALL BE EXALTED 
ABOVE THE HILLS; AND ALL NA- 
TIONS SHALL FLOW INTO IT." The 
same language is used by the prophet Micah 
(see Micah 4:1-7) or nearly the same; and it 
is worthy of attention, as it is evident that 
Micah in describing this LAST DAY STATE 
of things employs in part language similar to that 
of Zechariah, chapter 3, verse 10. The words of 
Micah, to which I refer, are, "But they shall 
sit every man under his vine and under his fig 



76 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

tree, and none shall make them afraid," etc. 
This is at the time when "God shall judge 
among his people, and rebuke strong nations 
afar off, and they shall beat their swords into 
plowshares and their spears into pruning 
hooks," etc. THIS IS THE TIME WHEN 
ZION SHALL HAVE DELIVERANCE AT 
THE HAND OF HER KING, CHRIST. 
Now let us reproduce Zechariah. See Zech. 
3:8, 9, 10. "Hear now, O Joshua the high 
priest, thou and thy fellows that sit before thee: 
for they are men wondered at; for behold, I 
will bring forth my servant, THE BRANCH. 
For, behold, the stone that I have laid before 
Joshua : Upon one stone shall be seven eyes : 
behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith 
the Lord of hosts, AND I WILL REMOVE The 
THE INIQUITY OF THAT LAND IN ONE "Atonement 
DAY (make atonement). In that day, saith 
the Lord of hosts, shall ye call every man his 
neighbor under the vine and under the fig tree." 
WE MIGHT FURTHER COLLECT SCRIP- 
TURES IN SUPPORT OF THE CLAIM 
THAT "THE LAST DAY," SO OFTEN 
NAMED IN BOTH THE OLD AND NEW 
TESTAMENTS, MEANS THE FINISH- 



77 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

ING UP OF THE OLD DISPENSATION, 
OR THE FINAL DAYS OF THE OLD 
COVENANT. 



78 



CHAPTER VI. 



The Day of Judgment For Zion, Her Dis- 
placement. 

The prophecy of Enoch as reproduced by 
Jude where he says, "Behold the Lord cometh 
with ten thousand of his saints to execute judg- 
ment," has a parallel in Daniel 7 : 10. I will 
reproduce it, beginning with the verse preced- 
ing : "I beheld till the thrones were cast down, JJ e , 

, 1 r , ,. * • Judgment' 

and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment Idea 

was white as snow, and the hair of his head 
like the pure wool: his throne was like the 
fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A 
fiery stream issued, and came forth from be- 
fore him: thousand thousands ministered unto 
him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood 
before him: the judgment was set, and the 
books were opened, and I beheld then, because 
of the voice of the great words which the horn 
spake; I beheld, even till the beast was slain, 
and his body destroyed, and given to the burn- 
ing flame. As concerning the rest of the 
beasts, they had their dominion taken away: 

79 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

yet their lives were prolonged for a season and 
a time." The three beasts, the lion, the bear 
and the leopard were destroyed; yet, at the 
death of the first, the life was transferred to 
the succeeding one, and THUS it was of the 
next, and the next, till the last, the "dreadful, 
and terrible, and strong exceedingly," called 
Pagan Rome the fourth beast, ANSWERING TO PAGAN 
the "Fourth ROME. At this point Daniel says, "I SAW 
Beast" IN THE NIGH T VISIONS, AND BEHOLD, 

ONE LIKE THE SON OF MAN (Christ) 
CAME WITH THE CLOUDS OF 
HEAVEN, AND CAME TO THE AN- 
CIENT OF DAYS, AND THEY BROUGHT 
HIM NEAR BEFORE HIM. AND THERE 
WAS GIVEN HIM DOMINION, AND 
GLORY, AND A KINGDOM, THAT ALL 
PEOPLE, NATIONS, AND LANGUAGES, 
SHOULD SERVE HIM: HIS DOMINION 
IS AN EVERLASTING DOMINION, 
WHICH SHALL NOT PASS AWAY, AND 
HIS KINGDOM THAT WHICH SHALL 

NOT BE destroyed:' 

NOW WE MUST NOT OVERLOOK 
THE FACT THAT THIS DOMINION 
AND KINGDOM IS A VERITY CONTEM- 



80 






CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

PORANEOUS WITH THE EXISTENCE Nations 
OF NATIONS AND UNIVERSALLY (as such) 
DIVERSE LANGUAGES. If, at Christ's Exist 
final coming to judgment, as stated in I Cor. R . „ 
15 :24, he is to give up his kingdom, then THE 
POSSESSION OF IT, AS HEREIN DE- 
SCRIBED BY DANIEL, MUST BE PRIOR 
TO THE END. Further along in the chapter, 
in the way of making plain the vision, the 
angel of God said, referring to the little horn 
that came up out of the ten, "I beheld, and 
the same horn made war with the saints, and 
prevailed against them; until the Ancient of 
days came, and judgment was given to the 
saints of the Most High; AND THE TIME 
CAME THAT THE SAINTS POSSESSED 
THE KINGDOM." Here is an example of 
the Scripture practice of attributing inter- 
changeably things to Christ and the Church. 
THIS MUST ALL TRANSPIRE BEFORE 
THE END, IF PAUL UNDERSTANDS 
WHAT SHALL HAPPEN AT THAT 
TIME. 

This is significantly forecasted in the 149th 
Psalm, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th verses. "For 
the Lord taketh pleasure in his people: he will 

81 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

beautify the meek with salvation. Let the 
saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud 
upon their beds. Let the high praises of God 
be in their mouth, and a two edged sword in 
their hand; To execute vengeance upon the 
heathen, and punishments upon the people; To 
bind their kings with chains, and their nobles 
The with fetters of iron; TO EXECUTE UPON 

"Joint Reign" THEM THE JUDGMENT WRITTEN : 
^ h f e ^ h a r i 1 n s t t s and THIS HONOUR HAVE ALL HIS SAINTS. 
Praise ye the Lord." Isaiah says of God's 
people, "The sons also of them that afflict 
thee shall come bending unto thee, and all they 
that despised thee shall bow themselves at the 
soles of thy feet, and they shall call thee The 
city of the Lord, The Zion of the Holy One 
of Israel." In Isaiah 49 : 23, is said of this 
Zion, "Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I 
will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set 
up my standard to the people: and they shall 
bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters 
shall be carried upon their shoulders: And 
kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their 
queens thy nursing mothers: THEY SHALL 
BOW DOWN TO THEE (the Gentiles shall 
bow down) WITH THEIR FACE TOWARD 

82 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

THE EARTH, AND LICK UP THE DUST 
OF THY FEET." The work of grace, the 
spread of the light of truth, the advance of the 
gospel of the Son of God, shall eventually ac- 
complish all this, in the fullest and broadest 
sense. The sword of God, the truth, which 
sword is that of God and Gideon; or any of 
God's servants, is the instrument of this sub- 
jugatory power. Daniel, referring to the time The Sorrows 
when the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, of J ud g ment 
and the abomination placed that shall mak^ 
desolate (see Dan. 11: 31), and also to the 
time of the end (see Dan. 11 : 35), says, "And at 
that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince 
which standeth for the children of thy people; 
and there shall be a time of trouble, such as 
never was since there was a nation even to that 
same time: AND AT THAT TIME SHALL 
THY PEOPLE BE DELIVERED." Now let 
it be understood that the time such as never had 
been, or even such as never was to be again, 
IS THE TIME MENTIONED BY MARK 
IN THESE WORDS, "And pray ye that your 
flight be not in winter, For in those days shall 
be affliction such as was not from the begin- 
ning of creation unto this time, neither shall 

83 



CHRISTS SECOND COMING. 

be." Luke, in describing the event, says, "Then 
let them which are in Judea flee to the moun- 
tains, and let them which are in the midst of it 
depart out, and let not them that are in the 
countries enter thereinto. FOR THESE BE 
DAYS OF VENGEANCE THAT ALL 
THINGS WHICH ARE WRITTEN MAY 
BE FULFILLED/' Turn now to the first 
chapter of Revelation, and notice what is said 
of the time in which was to be fulfilled that 
which John saw. The first verse reads : "The 
Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto 
him, to shew unto his servants THINGS 
WHICH MUST SHORTLY COME TO 
PASS." 

The third verse reaffirms that which the first 
'Immediate verse states relative to the nearness of the time 
Things" in which this revelation is to be enacted. It 

reads, "Blessed is he that readeth, and they 
that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep 
those things which are written therein: FOR 
THE TIME IS AT HAND." This precludes 
the right to speculate over the expression "must 
shortly come to pass." Now to make sure that 
the vision entire, as given to us in the Apoca- 
lypse, was to be enacted in the space 

84 



John's 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

of a brief period, we will bring evidence 

from the last chapter of the book; see 

Rev. 22. "And he saith unto me, Seal 

not the sayings of the prophecy of this Christ's 

book: FOR THE TIME IS AT HAND." Immediate 

The 6th verse of the same chapter is con- T or ? 1T l s . 
„__. . . . . Included 

firmatory. It reads : These sayings are faith- 
ful and true: AND THE LORD GOD OF 
THE HOLY PROPHETS SENT HIS 
ANGEL TO SHOW UNTO HIS SER- 
VANTS THE THINGS WHICH MUST 
SHORTLY BE DONE." This is followed up 
by (see 12th verse), "AND BEHOLD, I 
COME QUICKLY : and my reward is with me, 
to give every man according as his work shall 
be." The 20th verse restates the shortness of 
time to the moment when Christ was to come. 
It reads, "He which testifieth these things 
saith, SURELY I COME QUICKLY; 
Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus." Nothing 
can be clearer than that quickly here means im- 
mediately, when all that is said in this chapter 
of Christ's coming is considered connectively. 

If the reader is one of those who may think 
that mention of Christ's coming means the final 
end, or a time when the righteous dead are to 

85 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

be raised out of their graves, let him or her turn 
to Matt. 25:31, 32. The text is, ''When the 
Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the 
holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon 
the throne of his glory: And before him shall 
be gathered all nations ; and he shall separate 
them one from another, as a shepherd divideth 
his sheep from the goats." IF THIS IS THE 
COMING OF CHRIST, AT THE TIME OF 
THE FIRST RESURRECTION, AFTER 
THE COMMON IDEA, THIS CANNOT BE 
THE TIME OF THE DIVISION BE- 
Christ TWEEN THE SHEEP AND THE GOATS, 

Has Come BECAUSE THE WICKED DEAD, AS 
"SheeTaiid GENERALLY UNDERSTOOD, ARE NOT 
Goats" are TO BE RAISED UNTIL A THOUSAND 
Being Divided YEARS AFTER THE SAINTS ARE 
RESURRECTED. Thus it must appear, AC- 
CORDING TO PREVAILING THEORY, 
that the author of this description is somewhat 
astray, or SOME OTHER BIBLE AUTHOR 
IS AT FAULT. If we turn to I Cor. 15 : 22, 
23, 24, we have the language, several times pre- 
viously quoted, "For as in Adam all die, even 
so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every 
man in his own order ; Christ the first fruits ; 



86 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

afterward they that are Christ's, at his coming. 
Then cometh the end, when he shall have de- 
livered up the kingdom to God, even the Father ; 
when he shall have put down all rule and all 
authority and power. For he must reign, till 
he hath put all enemies under his feet." NOW 
NOTICE PARTICULARLY, THAT AT 
THE COMING NAMED IN MATT. 25 : 31, 
32, CHRIST TAKES HIS THRONE; AND 
AT THIS MENTION OF HIS COMING 
HE GIVES IT UP. Read this last reference, 
and make sure that the author is either right 
or wrong. See also Luke 12:32, and Heb. He Now 
12 : 27, 28, and also Dan. 7 : 26, 27, in which is Reigns but 
the foreknowledge of the event in language too Wi ^ Resign 
plain and direct to be misunderstood, or mis- 
applied. 

THE FIRST MENTIONED COMING IS 
WHEN CHRIST TAKES THE THRONE 
OF DAVID, AND IS THE COMING 
NAMED IN REVELATION. As there is 
much uncertainty about the date of this vision 
or John, it may be reasonably supposed that the 
date can be fixed sufficiently early to antedate 
the time of Christ's succession to the throne of 
David. Of this I will treat more particularly 
later. 

87 



CHAPTER VII. 



Christ's Intermediate Vs. His Final 
Coming. 

Jesus said, "A little while and ye shall not 
see me, AND AGAIN A LITTLE WHILE 
and ye shall see me." See John 16: 16. 
Scripture The reason that Christ gives for their seeing 

Confirmations him again was that he was to go to the Father. 
This seeing Christ "in a little while" does 
not refer to the few days that he was seen in 
the flesh after his resurrection, as will appear 
by the language employed further along in 
Christ's address. Explaining what he meant, 
he said, "Verily, verily I say unto you, That 
ye shall weep and lament; but the world shall 
rejoice and ye shall be sorrowful, but your 
sorrow shall be turned into joy. Ye now there- 
fore have sorrow, BUT I WILL SEE YOU 
AGAIN and your hearts shall rejoice, and your 
joy no man taketh it from you." 

In another place, Jesus, referring to his going 
away, said, "I will not leave you comfortless : 
I WILL COME TO YOU. Yet a little while 



88 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

and the world seeth me no more, BUT YE SEE 
ME: because I live ye shall live also." In 
Christ's last interview with his disciples, turn- 
ing to Peter he said (see John 21:18-23, in 
part), "Verily, verily I say unto thee, When 
thou wast young thou girdest thyself, and 
walkedst whither thou wouldst: but when thou 
shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, 
and another shall gird thee, and carry thee 
whither thou wouldst not. This spake he, sig- 
nifying by what death he should glorify God. 
And when he had spoken this, he saith unto 
him, Follow me. Then Peter, turning about, 
seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved, following; 
which also leaned on his breast at supper, and 
said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee? 
Peter, seeing him, saith to Jesus, Lord, and 
what shall this man do? Jesus saith unto him, 
IF I WILL THAT HE TARRY TILL I 
COME, WHAT IS THAT TO THEE? Fol- 
low thou me." I cannot imagine, neither do 
I believe that any considerate person can think 
that Christ framed this answer to excite the 
idle curiosity of Peter, or his other disciples, 
or any who might afterward come into posses- 
sion of the question of Peter and the answer. 



89 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

Scripture It needed only this part in the answer, "What 

Confirmations is that to thee? Follow thou me," if Christ 
merely meant to reprove Peter for interesting 
himself in other men's affairs. The part of 
the answer that contained REFERENCE TO 
THE TIME THAT WAS TO ELAPSE BE- 
FORE JOHN SHOULD PASS OUT, or to 
the event that was to occur before he died, in 
which was set forth that a considerable length 
of time was to elapse between the death of the 
two disciples, are not words, in my opinion, 
just thrown in for mere amplification or embel- 
lishment, or the aimless purpose of exciting 
speculation. That which follows the answer 
may be cited as evidence that Christ was not 
indulging in ambiguous speech. It is, "Then 
went this saying abroad among the brethren, 
that this disciple should not die." This is ef- 
fectually denied in the writer's own words, thus, 
"Yet Jesus said not unto him (Peter) He shall 
not die ; but, IF I WILL THAT HE TARRY 
TILL I COME, what is that to thee?" Many 
Bible students who believe that this part of 
Christ's answer is significant, MAINTAIN 
THAT JOHN IS STILL ALIVE AND ON 
THE EARTH, AND WILL NOT SEE 



90 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

DEATH TILL CHRIST COMES AT THE 
FINAL END, OR AT THE TIME OF THE 
FIRST LITERAL RESURRECTION. THE 
MORMONS BELIEVE THIS, or many of 
their teachers with whom I am acquainted. 
MANY OF THE SEVENTH DAY AD- 
VENTISTS HOLD TO THE SAME BE- 
LIEF, IF NOT ALL. 

If Paul understands how it will be when the Confirmation 
Lord shall descend from heaven with a shout, Continued 
to raise the righteous dead, then THOSE 
THAT REMAIN AND ARE ALIVE AT 
THAT TIME SHALL BE CHANGED IN 
THE TWINKLING OF AN EYE, and be 
caught up with the raised dead to meet the 
Lord in the air ; and to HOLD THAT JOHN 
DOES NOT HAVE TO DIE IS TO CAST 
REFLECTION UPON THE DOUBLE 
ENTRY OF THE ACCOUNT, WHICH IS 
IN EFFECT THAT HE WAS TO DIE, BUT 
NOT UNTIL AFTER CHRIST S SECOND 
COMING. On the occasion of the Passover 
Supper, which the Lord partook of, with his 
disciples, on the day of his betrayal into the 
hands of his murderers, he said, at the con- 
clusion of that part of it, which is called the 

91 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

Lord's Supper, "For I say unto you, I will not 
drink of the fruit of the vine UNTIL THE 
KINGDOM OF GOD SHALL COME." See 
Luke 22 : 18. Now if we let Christ answer this 
question as to what we should understand by 
the coming of the kingdom of God, WE MUST 
UNDERSTAND THE CUP TO MEAN THE 
LIFE OF CHRIST, OR THE TRUTH 
WHICH IS LIFE, AND THE BROKEN 
BREAD, THE WORD OF LIFE, IN WHICH 
THE DISCIPLES SHOULD SHARE WITH 
HIM, IN HIS KINGDOM ON EARTH. 

When the Pharisees came to Jesus, demand- 
ing when the kingdom of God should come, he 
answered, "THE KINGDOM OF GOD 
COMETH NOT WITH OBSERVATION, 
NEITHER SHALL THEY SAY LO HERE, 
OR LO THERE, FOR BEHOLD, THE 
KINGDOM OF GOD IS WITHIN YOU." 
THE TRUE IDEA OF THE KINGDOM OF 
GOD IS THAT IT IS SOMETHING THAT 
CANNOT BE SEEN, IT CAN NOT BE 
HANDLED; NOR IN ANY WAY SENSED 
THROUGH PHYSICAL PERCEPTION ; 
NEITHER CAN IT BE LOCATED. It 
shall not be said of it, it is "here or there." 



92 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

This would fix it in a particular place within 
limits ; and exclude it from every other place. 
Christ told his disciples on a certain occasion 
that some of them should not taste death till 
they should witness the coming of his kingdom, 
or his coming in his kingdom. See Matt. 16 : 27, 
28, Mark 9:1, and Luke 9:27. Unquestion- 
ably this is the kingdom to which reference is 
made when Jesus said unto his disciples, "For 
I say unto you I will not drink of the fruit of 
the vine until the kingdom of God shall come." 
The words of Christ concerning the bread which 
he blessed, break and gave to his disciples were, 
in part, "For I say unto you I will not any 
more eat thereof until it be fulfilled in the king- 
dom of God." 

Adam Clark says of this, "Until it be fulfilled 
in the kingdom of God," that is, "UNTIL 
THAT OF WHICH THE PASSOVER IS 
A TYPE IS FULFILLED IN MY DEATH, 
THROUGH WHICH THE KINGDOM OF 
HEAVEN SHALL BE ESTABLISHED 
AMONG MEN." And further along, com- 
menting on the cup, he says: "I will not drink 
of the fruit of the vine, that is before the time 
of another passover, which shall be fully in- 



93 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 



Saints with 
Christ on a 
Throne in 
Common 



augurated, in effect, at the ending of the first." 
The 29th and 30th verses of this same chapter 
may be cited as confirmatory of this view. 
The They are: "AND I APPOINT UNTO YOU 

Reign of the a KINGDOM AS MY FATHER HAS AP- 
POINTED UNTO ME, THAT YE MAY 
EAT AND DRINK AT MY TABLE IN MY 
KINGDOM, AND SIT ON THRONES 
JUDGING THE TWELVE TRIBES OF 
ISRAEL/' On another occasion Christ had 
told his disciples that such an honor as here 
named should be granted. See Matt. 9 : 28, the 
words are: "And Jesus said unto them, Verily 
I say unto you, THAT YE WHICH HAVE 
FOLLOWED ME IN THE REGENERA- 
TION, WHEN THE SON OF MAN SHALL 
SIT IN THE THRONE OF HIS GLORY, 
YE ALSO SHALL SIT UPON TWELVE 
THRONES, JUDGING THE TWELVE 
TRIBES OF ISRAEL." 

In Rev. 2:25, 26, 27, it reads: "But that 
which ye have already, hold fast till I come. 
And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works 
unto the end, to him will I give power over the 
nations." THIS CANNOT BE UNLESS 
NATIONS ARE IN EXISTENCE, AFTER 



94 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

CHRIST COMES. OUR ADVENTIST 
FRIENDS will tell us that this reign of the 
saints will be limited to the thousand years of 
Christ's reign, after the first resurrection. 
THIS MISTAKE IS IN THE NATURE The Mis- 
AND TIME OF THIS REIGN, AND THE takes of the 
CONDITIONS COTEMPORANEOUS. See Adven «sts. 
Rev. 20:6-9. THEY CONSTRUE THIS 
MILLENNIUM TO BE A STATE IN 
WHICH CHRIST AND HIS SAINTS 
REIGN WITHOUT OPPOSITION. But 
this can only come as the outcome of Christ's 
reign through his saints, covering a long period 
of opposition gradually lessened to a finish. Let 
us see if we cannot find out by Scripture 
authority HOW it occurs that the saints of God 
and his Christ come into possession of a king- 
dom, or kingdoms. In Rev. 11:15, it reads, 
"And the seventh angel sounded; and there 
were great voices in heaven, saying, THE 
KINGDOMS OF THIS WORLD ARE BE- 
COME THE KINGDOMS OF OUR LORD, 
AND OF HIS CHRIST; AND HE SHALL 
REIGN FOREVER AND EVER." In Rev. 
15:4, we read, "Who shall not fear thee, O 
Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art 

95 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

holy: FOR ALL NATIONS SHALL COME 
AND WORSHIP BEFORE THEE." This is 
only confirmatory of David's words as recorded 
in the 22nd Psalm, 27th verse. "ALL THE 
ENDS OF THE WORLD shall remember and 
turn unto the Lord; and all the kindreds of the 
nations shall worship before thee." In another 
place he says in a prayer, see Ps. 86 : 9, "ALL 
NATIONS whom thou hast made shall come 
and worship before thee." IT IS AMONG 
THE NATIONS OF THE EARTH THAT 
THE SAINTS OF GOD ARE TO RULE, 
AND THAT RULE HAS ALREADY BE- 
GUN; and will increase in extent and author- 
ity until IT SHALL BECOME UNIVER- 
SALLY SUPREME. Paul says, see Heb. 
12:22, "BUT YE ARE COME UNTO 
MOUNT SION, AND UNTO THE CITY OF 
THE LIVING GOD, THE HEAVENLY 
JERUSALEM," etc., and then concludes with, 
"WHEREFORE WE, RECEIVING A KING- 
DOM WHICH CANNOT BE MOVED, let 
us have grace, whereby we may serve God ac- 
ceptably." EXACTLY IN WHAT EARTH- 
LY REIGN THIS KINGDOM WAS SET UP 
IN THE EARTH IS CLEARLY SET 
FORTH IN DANIEL 2. 
96 



CHAPTER VIII 



Daniel's Symbol of the Kingdoms and the 
Stone. 

After Daniel had divided the image that 
Nebuchadnezzer saw in his dream, into four 
distinct parts, applying them respectively to the 
Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Macedonian and 
Roman governments, he said of their end, (see 
Dan. 2:34, 35) "Thou sawest till that A The 
STONE WAS CUT OUT WITHOUT ^^ g Stone 
HANDS, which smote the image upon his feet c Prist's 
that were of iron and clay, and brake them to Second 
pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, Coming 
the silver, and the gold broken to pieces to- 
gether, and became like the chaff of the summer 
threshing floors; and the wind carried them 
away, that no place was found for them: AND 

THE STONE THAT SMOTE THE IMAGE I™ 

STONE 
BECAME A GREAT MOUNTAIN, AND -Breaks Air 
FILLED THE WHOLE EARTH." As this and 
stone (Christ) was not cut out in the day of "Fills AH" 
either of the days of the first three monarchies, 
BUT WAS CUT OUT IN THE TIME OF 

97 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

THE LAST, we are not at a loss as TO THE 
DATE OF THE EVENT ANSWERING TO 
THIS FIGURE, THE STONE; nor are we at 
all in the dark as to WHERE AND WHEN 
the power of the gospel, i.e., the power of this 
sovereignty, smote effectually the Roman 
monarchy. It was, as in history enacted, in 
the feet, at the time when, by intermixture, the 
feet were partly strong and partly weak. It 
was THEN that it was smitten with the death 
blow. It was THEN THAT ALL OF THE 
GOVERNMENTS REPRESENTED BY 
THE IMAGE "were driven away as chaff be- 
fore the wind," the power of the gospel of the 
kingdom of God. 

This is the way we may explain the repre- 
sentation that "the iron and clay, brass, silver, 
and gold perished together." Beginning with 
THE HEAD OF GOLD, THE BABYLON- 
IAN GOVERNMENT, it as its fall was 
MERGED INTO THE MEDO-PERSIAN ; 
and this in its turn into the GRAECO- MACE- 
DONIAN; and the Graeco-Macedonian INTO 
™ e . THE ROMAN; THUS ALL THREE ARE 

Sto^lTthe MER GED INTO THE LAST. THIS 
"Gospel" STONE (CHRIST) IS A KING OF A 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

KINGDOM. The kingdom through which 

this king effects the dispersion of this great 

image is described in the 44th verse, and is only 

another way of stating the same thing, which 

being attributed to the stone, is attributed to 

the kingdom. It reads, "AND IN THE 

DAYS OF THESE KINGS (represented by 

the image) SHALL THE GOD OF HEAVEN 

SET UP A KINGDOM WHICH SHALL 

NEVER BE DESTROYED : AND THE And, also, 

KINGDOM SHALL NOT BE LEFT TO " T **f, Power of 

OTHER PEOPLE, BUT IT SHALL BREAK ^ SmJtes 

IN PIECES AND CONSUME ALL THESE the Beast 

KINGDOMS, AND IT SHALL STAND 

FOREVER." 

Reaching a conclusion as to when this event 
took place will most naturally be attended with 
more or less difficulty, not only for the reason 
that it requires close study and critical research 
into Scriptural comparisons, and into history, 
but as largely for the reason that authoritatively 
recognized Bible interpreters widely differ in 
the results of investigation. For example, there 
is to be found a set of noted students of the 
Bible who maintain that Nebuchadnezzer's 
metallic image is A FIGURE WHICH ENDS 

99 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

ONLY WHEN HUMAN GOVERNMENTS 
CEASE TO BE; while others of equal note 
hold that THE IMAGE REPRESENTS 
FOUR SUCCESSIVE SOVEREIGNTIES, 
the last of which ENDED BETWEEN A. D. 
300 AND 400; while there are still others of 
popular repute who urge that the FOUR DIS- 
TINCT ELEMENTS OF THE IMAGE AP- 
PLY RESPECTIVELY TO THE BABY- 
LONIAN, MEDO-PERSIAN, ALEXANDER, 
AND ALEXANDER'S IMMEDIATE SUC- 
CESSOR; while others apply it to the BABY- 
LONIAN, MEDIAN, PERSIAN AND 
GRAECO-MACEDONIAN. Milton S. Perry, 
S. T. D., Professor of Old Testament 
Exegesis in the Garrett Biblical Institute, and 
author of "Biblical Hermeneutics," supports the 
last theory and opposes those who apply the 
legs-and-feet symbol of the image to the Roman 
Government, on the ground that it could not 
have been smitten on its feet by the "stone cut 
out without hands" UNTIL THE DAYS OF 
The T HE FEET, WHICH CANNOT BE DATED 

Historic EARLIER THAN BETWEEN THREE 

"Imaged t * AND FOUR HUNDRED YEARS AFTER 
Feet" THE FIRST APPEARANCE OF CHRIST. 

100 






CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

To me, THE OBJECTION, FROM THAT 
STANDPOINT, LOSES FORCE OF AP- 
PEAL, for the following reasons : It is not in- 
evitable that the setting up of Christ's kingdom, 
and its effectual striking the image should be 
cotemporaneous. I THINK NOT. It was 
not till the Roman Government had reached ITS 
FEET-POINT, IN ITS HISTORY, that the 
kingdom of God, set up at the highest of 
ROME'S GLORY, did its work with destruc- 
tive effect. THE INFLUENCES THAT 
OVERTHREW ROME WERE SET TO 
WORK AT ONCE ON THE SETTING UP 
OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD. The forces 
were inaugurated WHEN CHRIST WAS 
BUT A "ROOT IN DRY GROUND," a 
"tender plant"; or when the kingdom of Christ 
was but a "mustard seed," BUT IT WAS IN 
AFTER YEARS THAT IT BECAME A 
POWER CAPABLE OF AN OVERMATCH- 
ING EFFECT. PERHAPS IT MAY BE 
CLAIMED, WITH MUCH PROPRIETY, 
THAT IT WAS WHEN CONSTANTINE, 
ROME'S EMPEROR, EMBRACED THE 
CHRISTIAN FAITH THAT THE 



101 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

GOVERNMENT, IN QUESTION, WAS 
SMITTEN WITH THE DEATH BLOW. 

The prophecy found in Daniel 2:44, 45, 
which in time of fulfillment must be united with 
verses 34 and 35, is preponderating evidence in 
favor of the theory that the legs and feet of 
Nebuchadnezzer's image answer to the Roman 
Empire: SINCE IT WAS IN ITS DAY 
THAT THE KINGDOM OF GOD WAS 
SET UP; NO OTHER CLAIM IS SO 
MANIFESTLY TENABLE. The following 
as we find recorded in Matt. 4: 17, 10: 7, 12: 28; 
Mark 11:10, 12:34; Luke 10:11 11:20; Col. 
1:13; Heb. 12:28, are statements of the king- 
dom of God given in language, the meaning of 
which is clear, AS TO TIME, AND IS 
HARD TO GAINSAY. The various ways of 
statement, in part, are, "From that time Jesus 
began to preach and say, Repent, FOR THE 
KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AT HAND." 
Words to his chosen twelve — "And as ye go, 
preach, saying, THE KINGDOM OF 
HEAVEN IS AT HAND." THE SAME 
MESSAGE JOHN THE BAPTIST GAVE. 
See Matt. 3 : 2. 

Some may be disposed to doubt, or stumble 



102 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

over the distinction assumed regarding the two 
forms employed, expressive of the kingdom, as 
named in the New Testament; one being called 
the "Kingdom of heaven", the other the "king- 
dom of God." But whatever the imagined dif- 
ference of meaning may be, the reason for it 
seems strained when we note how freely the 
two forms are employed interchangeably AS 
RELATING TO A NEAR OR ALREADY 
ACCOMPLISHED EVENT. THE llfih 
chapter of Matt., 28th verse, can be put in com- 
pany with the form, "the kingdom of heaven." 
It is, "But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of 
God, 'THEN THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS 
UNTO YOU!' When Jesus addressed the 
Jews on the occasion of his triumphal entry 
into Jerusalem, he said to them, (see Matt 
21:43) "Therefore say I unto you, THE 
KINGDOM OF GOD SHALL BE TAKEN 
FROM YOU, and given to a nation bringing 
forth the fruits thereof." Jesus, after John Kimrdom 
was imprisoned, went into Galilee preaching the Transfers and 
gospel of the kingdom of God, "And saying, is the New 
THE TIME IS FULFILLED AND THE Kingdom 
KINGDOM OF GOD IS AT HAND." Jesus' 
words to the scribe, who had wisely questioned, 

103 



Christ's second coming. 

and answered him, were, "THOU ART NOT 
FAR FROM THE KINGDOM OF GOD." 
When Christ sent out the Seventy, a part of the 
command was : "And heal the sick that are 
therein, and say unto them, THE KINGDOM 
OF GOD IS COME NIGH UNTO YOU. But 
into whatever city ye enter and they receive 
you not, go your ways out into the streets of 
the same and say, even the very dust of your 
city which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off 
against you, NOTWITHSTANDING BE YE 
SURE OF THIS THAT THE KINGDOM 
OF GOD IS COME NIGH UNTO YOU." 
These quotations are sufficient to show that 
THE TWO FORMS OF PHRASEOLOGY, 
(t THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN;' AND 
Interchange- " THE KINGDOM OF GOD," ARE INTER- 
able Terms CHANGE ABLY USED AS EXPRESSIVE 
OF THE SAME THING. And too, it is well 
to reflect that these representations of the New 
Testament Scriptures are sufficient in the way 
of fixing THE TIME WHEN THE KING- 
DOM OF GOD, prophesied of in Daniel 2 : 44, 
45, WAS SET UP. 

The kingdom is emphatically the kingdom of 
Christ, the Son of God, BY SPECIAL CON- 

104 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

FERMENT. Paul, in Colossians, says to the 
Church in Colosse, when telling them what 
gracious things God had done for them, "Who 
hath delivered us from the power of darkness 
and hath translated us into THE KINGDOM 
OF HIS DEAR SON." 



105 



CHAPTER IX. 



Christ Has Come. The First Heaven And 
the First Earth Have Passed Away. 



Universal 

Claim 

Conceded 



Peter 



A clear understanding of what is meant 
by THE NEW-HEAVEN-AND-EARTH 
STATE, and THE WHEN -AND -WHERE 
IT OBTAINS, will throw additional light of 
much importance on the subject. First, I will 
say, I do not have to take time and space to 
prove that Christ's second coming precedes the 
new heaven and earth time, since it is very 
universally believed that it does. In this view 
I am in full accord with prevailing views, and 
feel that the greater burden of effort must lie 
in the direction of showing "WHEN THIS 
NEW CONDITION WAS TO COME," con- 
sidered purely from a Bible standpoint. If we 
turn to II Peter, chapter 3, we shall find A 
SHORT BUT IMPORTANT TREATISE. 
This statement or treatise, investigated in the 
light which Peter advises in the first two verses 
of the chapter, in THE PLACING of the new 
heaven and earth state, will be shorn of diffi- 



106 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

culty of solution. I am of the opinion that 
Bible students, when examining into the import 
of this chapter, have given little or no attention 
to this particular part of the instruction of the 
author of this epistle. IT IS VITALLY IM- 
PORTANT. It reads: "This second epistle, 
beloved, I now write unto you; in both which 
I stir up your pure minds by way of remem- 
brance, that ye may be mindful of the words 
which were spoken before by the holy prophets, 
and of the commandments of us the apostles 
of the Lord and Saviour." Now the first 
thing that we should be impressed with 
by these words is that this subject, in 
hand by Peter, is a statement with the 
view of reminding the churches of what HAD 
been written or spoken previously, the holy 
prophets having contributed a share. Next, it 
may be noticed that the importance of consult- 
ing the prophets, and what had from any source 
preceded on the subject of the new heaven and 
earth state, is emphasized in this fact, that 
Peter's words are a bare statement, VOID OF 
EXPLANATION OF THE SUBJECT IN- 
TRODUCED, such as is necessary to render 
the statement intelligible in its fullest import. 

107 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

Intentionally, Peter reserves amplification as 
AN INCENTIVE TO EXAMINATION IN- 
TO THE PROPHETS. The statement bears 
on the face of it the evidence that what he urges, 
in the first two verses, is JUST WHAT HE 
MEANS — investigation. 

On "the last days," and "scoffers" mentioned 
as preceding, or connected with the coming of 
our Lord, (see 3rd and 4th verses), I have al- 
ready written, and would advise the reader, if 
he or she has, in any degree, lost sight of it, 
to again revert to it; and in addition read the 
following Scriptures: I Tim. 4: 1, 2, 3; II Tim. 
3:1-8; Jude 3: 1-18. No one can read Jude to 
the 18th verse without the impression that HE 
IS SPEAKING OF A CONDITION THAT 
WAS ON AT THE TIME OF WRITING; 
AND THAT IT WAS CALLED THE LAST 
TIME. Of this, John, in his first epistle, 1st 
chapter, 18th verse, in point of evidence, is con- 
clusive. The 5th and 6th verses of II Peter, 
3rd chapter, name the fact that the old heavens 
and earth that were at the time of the flood, 
"whereby the world that then was, being over- 
flowed with water, perished," was, obviously, the 
world that should be understood to mean the 



108 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING 

old heavens and earth which perished. The 5th 

verse speaks of A HEAVEN AND EARTH What Comes 

THAT WERE OF OLD. The 7th verse ?ut of the 

Fire™ 
reads, "But the heavens and the earth which 

are NOW, by the same word are kept in store, 
reserved unto fire, and perdition of ungodly 
men." Notice! THE TIME DISTINCTION 
— "The heavens and earth of OLD," and "The 
heavens and earth which are NOW," the latter 
being "reserved unto fire." The next two 
verses are words of assurance, THAT 
WHETHER THE TIME BE LONG OR 
SHORT, THAT DAY OF FIRE IS SURE 
TO COME, "in the which," as the 10th verse 
avers, "the heavens shall pass away with a great 
noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent 
heat; the earth also, and the works that are 
therein, shall be burned up." Now it should 
be remembered that, if language can be depended 
upon to carry ideas agreeable to its construction, 
whatever is meant by this heavens and earth, 
THEY SUFFER COMPLETE CONSUM- 
MATION BY FIRE. The 13th verse states, 
however, that THE LOSS IS TO BE RE- 
PLACED; and the following is the language: 
"Nevertheless we, according to his promise, 

109 



Christ's second coming. 

LOOK FOR NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW 
EARTH, WHEREIN DWELLETH RIGHT- 
EOUSNESS." If this burning up is the de- 
struction of the literal heavens and earth, the 
new heavens and new earth are necessarily A 
CREATION OUTRIGHT. This must be con- 
ceded to be the only conclusion admissible. An 
important thing to notice here is, that THIS 
NEW STATE IS A RESULT IN KEEPING 
WITH A PROMISE. And may we not 
reasonably believe that it is an outcome accord- 
ing to promise, both in the way of fulfillment, 
AS TO THE TIME AND MANNER OF AC- 

The COMPLISHMENT? This may be fairly as- 

rop e s sumed to be the reason why Peter is explicit 

p t to inform us that he has given us this second 

epistle that we may bring to our remembrance 
what the prophets have said. If Peter, how- 
ever, had not so charged us, the fact alone that 
he states that the new heavens and earth are 
AN OUTCOME, AGREEABLE TO 
PROMISE, we might be expected, as close and 
painstaking students, to be interested in finding 
out where the promise is to be found, and what 
it is in particulars of description. And if, after 
examining well into the New Testament, we 

110 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

could not find in any of the gospels, or the 
epistles, DATED BEFORE THIS 2ND 
EPISTLE OF PETER, THIS PROMISE 
IN PLAIN TERMS, AS WE CERTAINLY 
CANNOT, we would most naturally turn to the 
Old Testament Scriptures to see what, by 
searching, would be revealed in them. Peter 
is far-seeing enough to provide an open door 
of opportunity for investigation, that cannot 
well be missed. As already observed, there is 
nothing in the New Testament that is recorded 
prior to the date of this epistle, that can be 
called a promise of a new heaven and earth; 
except IT MAY BE TRUE THAT THE 
APOCALYPSE HAD ALREADY BEEN 
WRITTEN. But, in the Old Testament there 
is much that is definite and instructive in the 
form of a promise. We will heed Peter's ad- 
vice by first turning to the 65th chapter of 
Isaiah. The 17th verse of that chapter reads: 
"For, behold, I create new heavens, and a new 
earth; and the former shall not be remembered, 
nor come into mind." The conjunction FOR 
is employed as expressive of SOME REASON 
ALREADY STATED. The best of authori- 
ties can be cited as claiming that the first part 

111 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

of this chapter is a description of THE CALL- 
ING OF THE GENTILES, and THE RE- 
JECTION OF THE JEWS for their increduli- 
ty, idolatry and hypocrisy. Any careful student 
would be thus impressed as it seems to me. The 
Isaiah summing up of the dispersion of the Jews ana 

the calling of the Gentiles is in part found in 
the 15th and 16th verses, the two preceding the 
promise quoted. They read: "And ye (the 
Jews) shall leave your name for a curse unto 
my chosen: for the Lord God shall slay thee, 
and call his servants by another name : That he 
who blesseth himself in the earth, shall bless 
himself in the God of Truth ; and he 
that sweareth in the earth, shall swear by the 
God of truth; because the former troubles are 
forgotten, and because they are hid from mine 
eyes." Then follows the promise, "FOR, be- 
hold, I create new heavens and a new earth." 
The reader, IF A LOVER OF CRITICAL 
AND THOROUGH INVESTIGATION, 
WILL TURN TO THIS CHAPTER and 
read carefully every verse up to the promise, to 
satisfy him or herself, as to whether this claim 
is well taken. 



112 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

Immediately following this promise is an ex- 
position of its meaning. What this new heaven 
and earth shall be is clearly set forth. The next 
verse is, "But be ye glad and rejoice forever in 
that which I create: for I create Jerusalem a 
rejoicing and her people a joy." INDISPUT- 
ABLY THEN, AS THUS STATED, THE 
CREATION OF A NEW HEAVEN AND 
A NEW EARTH, IS THE CREATION 
OF 10 Y IN IERUSALEM AND HER 
PEOPLE. And right here it is appro- 
priate to put side by side, THIS AND JOHN'S 
VISION OF THE NEW HEAVENS AND 
NEW EARTH. He says, see Rev. 21: 1, 
"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for 
THE FIRST HEAVEN AND THE FIRST 
EARTH WERE PASSED AWAY," i.e., in 
another way worded by Isaiah, when he said, T , 
"AND THE FORMER SHALL NOT BE Supports 
REMEMBERED, NOR COME INTO MIND." i sa iah 
These are only two different ways of stating 
exactly the same thing. And thus of the exposi- 
tion, John, beginning as does Isaiah, though not 
phrased the same, it is easy to see that the 
IDENTITY IS PERFECT. "And I, John, saw 
THE HOLY CITY, NEW JERUSALEM, 

113 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

COMING DOWN FROM GOD OUT OF 
HEAVEN, PREPARED AS A BRIDE 
ADORNED FOR HER HUSBAND." When 
Isaiah says that the creation of the new heaven 
and earth IS l THE CREATION OF JERUS- 
ALEM IN REJOICING, AND HER PEOPLE 
A JOY, and adds, "I WILL REJOICE IN 
JERUSALEM AND JOY IN MY PEOPLE: 
and the voice of WEEPING SHALL BE NO 
MORE HEARD IN HER, NOR THE VOICE 
OF CRYING/' he means precisely what John 
does, in the words, "And I heard a great voice 
out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of 
God is with men, and he will dwell with them, 
N T and they shall be his people, and God himself 

Death etc as s ^ a ^ ^e w ^ tnem an< ^ De their God. AND 
stated' in Is. GOD SHALL WIPE AWAY ALL TEARS 
25 :8,-30 :19, FROM THEIR EYES; AND THERE SHALL 
-35:10,-60: BE N0 MORE DEATH, NEITHER SOR- 
H^nu- 50 R0W > N0R CRYING, NEITHER SHALL 
6-2 P S : 30-3 THERE BE ANY MORE PAIN: FOR THE 
-86:13,' Heb! FORMER THINGS ARE PASSED AWAY." 
2:9. It is not necessary to further follow the com- 

parison to show the identity. In this new- 
heaven-and-earth state Isaiah says, "And they 
shall build houses and inhabit them; and they 

114 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

shall plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them. 
They shall not build and another inhabit, they 
shall not plant and another eat; for AS THE In the New- 
DAYS OF A TREE ARE THE DAYS OF Earth and 
MY PEOPLE, and MINE ELECT SHALL ^, eave ,? p f ate 
LONG ENJOY THE WORK OF THEIR ™!* ^J nt ' 
HANDS" ; and adds in the next chapter, see £ at » 
verses 22, 23 and 24, "For as the new heavens 
and the new earth, which I will make, SHALL 
REMAIN BEFORE ME, saith the Lord, SO 
SHALL YOUR SEED AND YOUR NAME 
REMAIN. And it shall come to pass, that from Life ' s En " 
one new moon to another, and from one Sab- ~ . , 
bath to another, SHALL ALL FLESH come to Same 
worship before me, saith the Lord. And they 
shall go forth, and LOOK UPON THE CAR- 
CASSES OF THE MEN THAT HAVE 
TRANSGRESSED AGAINST ME; (THE 
OLD JEWISH DEAD BODY) for their worm 
shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched ; 
and they shall be an ABHORRING UNTO 
ALL FLESH." That this is the IMMORTAL- 
IZED STATE of the saints immediately follow- 
ing the first resurrection, such as is advocated 
to a considerable extent, ONE CANNOT 
THINK TO BELIEVE FOR A MOMENT, 

115 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 



Physical 

Phenomena 

Remains 



except he is favorable to the juggling method 
of dealing with the Scriptures. 

BUILDING and PLANTING, the MEAS- 
UREMENT OF TIME BY DAYS AND 
WEEKS, the regular recurrence of the SAB- 
BATH, and the fact that all worship is ren- 
dered IN THE FLESH ; the MOON also con- 
tinuing to exhibit itself in its various phases, as 
of old, leaving NO CHANCE TO DOUBT ITS 
OLD TIME RELATION TO SUN AND 
EARTH, may all be ADMITTED AS IN 
EVIDENCE THAT THE NEW HEAVEN 
AND EARTH STATE, IS NOT THAT 
COUNTRY, WE TALK OF, WHICH LIES 
"BEYOND THE BOUNDS OF TIME AND 
SENSE." 

It does not matter how determined one is to 
force himself to believe that Peter's description 
of the burning up of the heavens and earth, with 
the works therein, is the final end of the world, 
for the reason that in immediate connection it 
is called "the day of judgment and perdition 
of ungodly men." All evidence, found by fair 
and full comparison, is to the contrary. Isaiah's 
treatise of the question under consideration, as 
presented in the last two chapters of Isaiah, is 



116 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

not all the prophet has to say on the subject. 
If it were all, it would be enough to make ob- 
viously clear our claim that THE NEW 
HEAVEN AND EARTH STATE BELONGS 
TO THE PROBATIONARY DAY OF THE 
WORLD'S HISTORY. By this single com- 
parison it is plainly evident that THE PROPH- 
ETS AND THE APOSTLES ARE HAR- 
MONIOUS IN THEORY ON THE QUES- 
TION. But we shall not so fully realize the 
position taken, perhaps, till we have had THE 
FULL ADVANTAGE OF ISAIAH'S TREA- 
TISES. It is not all to be found in the 65th 
and 66th chapters of Isaiah. THE 24TH, 
25TH, 26TH AND 27TH CHAPTERS ARE 
WHOLLY DEVOTED TO THE SAME SUB- 
IECT, as are the 34th and 35th. 



117 



CHAPTER X. 



Bible Authors Deal With 'The First 
Heaven and the First Earth/' 



The word 
EARTH 
Signifies a 
"Condition' 



The first verse of the 24th chapter of Isaiah 
is responsible for the idea that at some time "the 
Lord will make the earth empty and a waste, 
AND TURN IT UPSIDE DOWN, (reverse it, 
i.e., make it new) and scatter abroad its in- 
habitants." 

The second verse shows that it will be a time 
of impartial dealing. The 3rd and 4th verses 
are a repetition of the first, in much stronger 
language, as well as more descriptively full. 
These state that "THE LAND IS UTTERLY 
EMPTIED, AND UTTERLY SPOILED." 
"THE EARTH MOURNETH AND FADETH 
AWAY, THE WORLD LANGUISHETH 
AND FADETH AWAY," etc. The language, 
as far as I have reproduced it, is exact. 

The 5th verse gives the reason for the terrible 
visitation. It is, "THE EARTH ALSO IS 
DEFILED under the inhabitants thereof: BE- 
CAUSE they have TRANSGRESSED THE 



118 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

LAWS, CHANGED THE ORDINANCE, 
BROKEN THE EVERLASTING COVEN- 
ANT." This is precisely WHAT THE JEWS 
HAD DONE WHEN CHRIST CAME IN 
THE FLESH. He thus accuses them, "How- 
beit in vain do ye worship me, TEACHING 
FOR DOCTRINES THE COMMAND- 
MENTS OF MEN." 

The 6th verse continues the description of the 
destruction as in the following, "THEREFORE 
HATH THE CURSE DEVOURED THE 
EARTH, and they that dwell therein are deso- 
late; THEREFORE THE INHABITANTS 
OF THE EARTH ARE BURNED, AND 
FEW MEN LEFT." This destruction by fire, 
as represented in this verse, is opportunity for 
the remnant to rejoice, as stated in the 15th, 
thus, "WHEREFORE GLORIFY YE THE 
LORD IN THE FIRES." The 17th, 18th, 19th 
and 20th verses are strongly and clearly descrip- 
tive of THE EARTH'S UTTER DESTRUC- 
TION. They are, "FEAR, AND THE PIT, 
AND THE SNARE, ARE UPON THEE, O 
INHABITANT OF THE EARTH. AND IT 
SHALL COME TO PASS, THAT HE WHO 
FLEETH FROM THE NOISE OF THE 



119 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

FEAR SHALL FALL INTO THE PIT ; AND 
HE THAT COMETH UP OUT OF THE 
MIDST OF THE PIT SHALL BE TAKEN 
IN THE SNARE; FOR THE WINDOWS 
FROM ON HIGH ARE OPEN, AND THE 
FOUNDATIONS OF THE EARTH DO 
SHAKE. THE EARTH IS UTTERLY 
BROKEN DOWN, THE EARTH IS CLEAN 
DISSOLVED, THE EARTH IS MOVED 
EXCEEDINGLY. THE EARTH SHALL 
REEL TO AND FRO LIKE A DRUNKARD, 
AND SHALL BE REMOVED LIKE A COT- 
TAGE: AND THE TRANSGRESSION 
THEREOF SHALL BE HEAVY UPON IT: 
AND IT SHALL FALL, AND NOT RISE 
AGAIN/' A guide to the time when this shall 
be is found in the following: (See Is. 52: 1-3, 
6-10). The first verse reads, "Awake, awake; 
put on thy strength, O Zion ; put on thy beauti- 
ful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; FOR 
HENCEFORTH THERE SHALL NO MORE 
COME INTO THEE THE UNCIRCUM- 
CISED AND THE UNCLEAN." When the 
OLD ISRAEL CEASED, the church was NO 
LONGER AN ORGANIZED BODY WITH 
LIMITATIONS OF THE HUMAN KIND; 



120 



the Unlimited 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

it came THEN to be a church WHOSE 
WALLS WERE SALVATION AND HER From 
GATES PRAISE." See Is. 60: 18, "and this the Limited 
is THE NAME WHEREWITH SHE SHALL to 
BE CALLED, THE LORD OUR RIGHT- 
EOUSNESS, or THE LORD IS THERE." 
(See Jer. 33: 16, and Ez. 48: 35); hence the 
claim, in it shall be no more curse or sin. The 
7th, 8th and 9th verses of Is. 52 are, "How 
beautiful upon the mountains are THE FEET 
OF HIM THAT BRINGETH GOOD TID- 
INGS, that publisheth peace ; that bringeth good 
tidings of good, THAT PUBLISHETH SAL- 
VATION; that saith unto Zion, Thy God 
reigneth. Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice ; 
with the voice together shall they sing; 
for they shall see eye to eye, when 
the Lord shall bring again Zion. Break 
forth into joy, sing together, ye waste 
places of Jerusalem: FOR THE LORD HATH 
COMFORTED HIS PEOPLE, HE HATH 
REDEEMED JERUSALEM. The Lord hath 
made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the 
nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see 
the salvation of our God." The breaking down 
of the earth, its being removed like a cottage, 

121 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

and its falling never to rise again MEANS A 
RADICAL CHANGE OF CONDITIONS 
UPON IT. Read the 51st chapter for further 
light upon this point. The 3rd verse of this 
chapter is a statement of the transition from 
the desert and wilderness condition to the Edenic 
state. The 6th verse represents the earth and 
heavens as vanishing away like smoke, but a full 
and careful reading of the chapter will result in 
convincing the reader that it is not annihilation 
but transformation. 

Now we will return to the description of the 
destruction, as given in the 24th chapter, of 
which we have reproduced sufficient to show that 
the earth is to be utterly destroyed ; and will pass 
to the 25th chapter to learn more fully what is 
meant by it. The reader can profitably turn to 
the 24th chapter, rereading what we have quoted 
with what follows. 

The 2nd verse of the 25th chapter reads, "For 
thou hast made of A CITY AN HEAP : A DE- 
FENCED CITY A RUIN: a palace of stran- 
gers to be no city: IT SHALL NEVER BE 
BUILT." Omitting three verses, we come to 
the 6th, an evident reversion to the last two 
verses of the 24th chapter. It is, "AND IN 



122 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

THIS MOUNTAIN SHALL THE LORD OF The Gospel- 
HOSTS MAKE UNTO ALL PEOPLE A Feast of 
FEAST OF FAT THINGS, A FEAST OF Reclamation 
WINES ON THE LEES, OF FAT THINGS 
FULL OF MARROW, OF WINES ON THE 
LEES WELL REFINED. AND HE WILL 
DESTROY IN THIS MOUNTAIN THE 
FACE OF THE COVERING cast over all peo- 
ple, and THE VEIL THAT IS SPREAD 
OVER ALL NATIONS r 

A part of Adam Clark's comment on these 
passages is, "This feast here spoken of is to be 
celebrated in Mount Zion; and all people with- 
out distinction, are to be invited to it. THIS 
CAN BE NO OTHER THAN THE CELE- 
BRATION OF THE ESTABLISHMENT OF 
CHRIST'S KINGDOM, WHICH IS FRE- 
QUENTLY REPRESENTED IN THE GOS- 
PEL UNDER THE IMAGE OF A FEAST; 
where many shall come from the east and the 
west and shall sit down with Abraham, Isaac and 
Jacob in the kingdom of heaven." Clark makes 
this entire chapter apply to the setting up of the 
kingdom of God, immediately following the de- 
struction of Jerusalem. This version can be 
regarded also as equivalent to an argument in 

123 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 



Things 
Counted as 
Accomplished 



favor of the position THAT THE OLD 
EARTH, SO OFTEN SPOKEN OF IN THE 
24TH CHAPTER, ANSWERS TO THE OLD 
JERUSALEM, to the desolate and barren state 
to which she had come before the judgment ot 
God visited her iniquities upon her, to her utter 
ruin. I use the name JERUSALEM here as 
both applying to THE BUILDING AND THE 
PEOPLE WHO WORSHIPPED THERE. It 
should be remembered that every description 
given, in either the Old Testament or the New, 
of the destruction of the earth, it never, in a 
single case, drops the subject UNTIL IT IS 
SHOWN THAT WHICH IS DESTROYED 
IS ALSO STILL LEFT, AND THAT 
WHICH IS LEFT IS A SUCCESSION OF 
THE THING OR STATE BEARING THE 
SAME NAME AS THE PRECEDING 
THING OR STATE. 

The 8th verse of the 25th chapter reads, "He 
will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord 
God will wipe away tears FROM OFF ALL 
FACES ; and the rebuke of his people shall be 
taken away FROM OFF ALL THE EARTH : 
for the Lord hath spoken it." (This language, 
"He will swallow up death in victory, and the 



124 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

Lord God will wipe away tears from off all 
faces," must signify exactly what Rev. 21 : 4 
does, and is also in substance what we find in 
Is. 35 : 10 and Rev. 7 : and is proof that this 
state is reached while there is still day and 
night. See verses 15, 16 and 17. On this Clark 
says in part, "that the text 'He (Christ) by the 
grace of God will taste death for every man/ 
(Heb. 2:9) is the same in meaning as the text 
'He will swallow up death in victory.' ") If 
this, with the 6th and 7th verses, MARKS THE Death Ban " 
TRANSITIONAL POINT at which THE ^ ed , at 
OLD GOES OVER INTO THE NEW, AS IT Re ™ r Vection 
VERY EVIDENTLY DOES, THEN WE 
HAVE NO DIFFICULTY IN FIXING THE 
DATE WHEN THE OLD HEAVENS AND 
EARTH ENDED AND THE NEW BEGAN. 
"Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon 
the earth beneath ; for the heavens shall vanish 
away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old 
like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall 
die in like manner, but my salvation shall be 
forever, and my righteousness shall not be 
abolished." See Is. 51: 6. IT IS THE EARTH- 
STATE IN WHICH THE SEED OF DEATH 
INHERES, and thus ALL THAT BELONGS 



125 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

TO IT MUST PERISH. This is FIRST, 
AND THEN FOLLOWS THE SPIRITUAL, 
IN WHICH IS LIFE WITHOUT END. The 
first state is the FIRST-ADAM CONDITION. 
This is that which is abolished. See 1 Cor. 15 : 
46-50. 

Turning now to the 34th chapter of Isaiah, 
we have a repetition of the 24th chapter, in 
somewhat different language. It is a vivid de- 
scription of the consumption of the earth and 
heavens by fire. If there is any language in the 
Bible expressive of complete destruction, it is 
this. The first two verses are A CALLING OF 
ALL NATIONS TO ATTEND to the utter- 
ance of the terrible event. The event is repre- 
sented as of the highest importance. All of the 
nations of the earth and their armies are "de- 
livered to the slaughter." Then follows the lan- 
guage as below: 

"THEIR SLAIN ALSO SHALL BE CAST 
OUT, AND THEIR STINK SHALL COME 
UP OUT OF THEIR CARCASSES, AND 
THE MOUNTAINS SHALL BE MELTED 
WITH THEIR BLOOD. AND ALL THE 
HOST OF HEAVEN SHALL BE DIS- 
SOLVED, AND THE HEAVENS SHALL 

126 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

BE ROLLED TOGETHER AS A SCROLL: 
AND ALL THEIR HOST SHALL FALL 
DOWN, AS THE LEAF FALLETH 
OFF FROM THE VINE, AND AS 
A FALLING FIG FROM THE FIG 
TREE." To place the TIME OF THIS 
beyond any chance to question it, the 
reader should turn to Joel 2: 28-32, and after The End 
attentively reading the five verses, he should of f he J ewisn - 
read the chapter entire, and next, the last chap- ° l y 
ter of Joel. The 3rd chapter should be read, 
noticing in particular, the first verse of the 
chapter, and note that it is because of what is 
stated in the second chapter that the third chap- 
ter follows. The second begins with, "Blow ye 
the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my 
holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the 
land tremble for THE DAY OF THE LORD 
COMETH, FOR IT IS NIGH AT HAND. 
HOW NIGH AT HAND IT WAS PETER 
MAKES DEFINITE BY TELLING HIS 
VAST AUDIENCE ON PENTECOST DAY. 
THE DISPLAY OF THAT OCCASION 
WAS IT. Clark places it, by his comment on Clark, 
the 30th verse of the 2nd chapter of Joel, in 
language thus: "This refers to those dreadful 

127 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

portents and destructive commotions BY 
WHICH THE JEWISH POLITY WAS 
FINALLY OVERTHROWN AND THE 
CHRISTIAN RELIGION ESTABLISHED 
IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE. THE JEWISH 
POLITY, CIVIL AND ECCLESIASTICAL, 
SHALL BE ENTIRELY DESTROYED." 
Notice, now, how nearly the 5th verse of Is. 34 : 
corresponds in language to II Peter 3: 10, 12, 
and Rev. 6: 13, 14. They are in order. The 
description continues, "FOR MY SWORD shall 
be bathed in heaven : behold, it shall come down 
upon Idumea, and upon the people of my curse, 
TO JUDGMENT. The sword of the Lord is 
filled with blood, it is made fat with fatness, and 
with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat 
of the kidneys of rams." The Jews had often, 
ere their doom came, been accused of OFFEND- 
ING THE ALMIGHTY WITH AN IRREV- 
ERENT OFFERING of incense and sacrifices. 
See Is. 1 : 13, Jer. 44: 22, Ezek. 7: 3, 4, 8, 9,— 
"for the Lord hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a 
great slaughter in the land of Idumea." To 
what this sacrifice has reference we need not be 
at a loss to understand, if we compare it with 
Is. 63: 1-4. I will reproduce it, fearing that 

128 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

the reader will not take the trouble to turn to it. 
Real right down EARNEST STUDY OF THE 
BIBLE IS RARELY THE HABIT OF MANY 
who pretend to "search the Scriptures." The 
reference is, "WHO IS THIS THAT COM- The HERO 
ETH FROM EDOM, WITH DYED GAR- with Stained 
MENTS FROM BOZRAHf This that is Garments 
glorious in his apparel, traveling in the great- 
ness of his strength. I that speak in righteous- 
ness, mighty to save. Wherefore art thou red 
in thine apparel, and thy garments like him 
that treadeth in the winefat? I have trodden 
the winepress alone; and of the people there 
was none with me ; for I will tread them in mine 
anger, and trample them in my fury; and their 
blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and T , H 
I will stain all my raiment." THIS IS CHRIST CHRIST, 
to whom reference is made here, as is generally 
conceded, and the text is a parallel to Is. 34: 
5-7, a part of which we have already repro- 
duced. The 5th verse, immediately following 
the above, in Is. 63, is identical to verse 8 in 
chapter 34, immediately following the represen- 
tation that the Lord has a sacrifice in Bozrah. 
The two are, in order, "FOR IT IS 
THE DAY OF THE LORD'S VEN- 

129 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 



The Terrible- 
ness of the 
Figures Em- 
ployed. 



GEANCE, AND THE YEAR OF REC- 
OMPENCES FOR THE CONTROVER- 
SY OF ZION," "For the day of ven- 
geance is in mine heart, AND THE YEAR OF 
MY REDEEMED IS COME/' Next in Is. 34 : 
follows the unqualified statement of THE DE- 
STRUCTION OF THE EARTH BY FIRE, 
the heavens undoubtedly included. Taking the 
4th verse as a leading up to the statement, no 
other conclusion is admissible. Here is the 
wording, "And the streams thereof shall be 
turned into PITCH, and the dust thereof into 
BRIMSTONE, and the land thereof shall be- 
come BURNING PITCH." Think of it, a con- 
flagration, the material of which is fed by A 
BODY OF PITCH AND BRIMSTONE THE 
SIZE OF THIS EARTH, and in addition A 
MOLTEN STREAM OF FIRE ABOVE IT 
AS WIDE AND HIGH AS THE HEAVENS ; 
and to add to the awful reality so utterly in- 
conceivable, the tamest that it can be made to 
appear, and be a fact, IS INCONCEIVABLY 
TERRIBLE. "It shall not be quenched night 
nor day ; the smoke thereof shall go up forever." 
If there is to be found anywhere in the Bible 
a more explicitly expressive wording of the 



130 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

earth's destruction, also of the heavens, I do not 
know where it is. Why not take this to mean 
exactly what it appears to convey? We could 
not, perhaps, do otherwise were this the end of 
it. It must be as authoritative as any other 
Bible declaration on the subject. In fact it 
so nearly resembles other portions of the 
Scriptures found in both the Old and 
New Testaments intended to convey, as it 
appears, the same idea. BUT LIKE AS IN 
ALL CASES, DESPITE THE LANGUAGE 
THAT SEEMS TO MEAN AN ACTUAL, 
LITERAL BURNING UP OF THE 
HEAVENS AND EARTH, THERE IS 
THAT WHICH FORMS A PART OF THE 
REPRESENTATION THAT LENDS IT A 
COLORING, IN MEANING, QUITE UN- 
LIKE THAT WHICH AT FIRST AP- 
PEARS. The prophet Isaiah says, "It (the 
fire) SHALL NOT BE QUENCHED NIGHT 
NOR DAY," BUT, WITHOUT A BREAK, 
ADDS, "From generation to generation it shall 
lie WASTE ; none shall pass through it for ever 
and ever." THIS IS A MODIFIER. "From 
generation to generation" SPOILS THE 
FIRST IMPRESSION, IF IT BE 



131 



This Fire. 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

THOUGHT THAT THIS BURNING UP IS 
BY A LITERAL FIRE. And continuing, 
further light is thrown upon the subject. "But 
Organized the cormorant and the bittern shall possess it; 

Life Survives trie owl also and the raven shall dwell in it: 
and he shall stretch out upon it the line of con- 
fusion, and the stone of emptiness. They shall 
call the nobles thereof to the kingdom, but none 
shall be there, and all her princes shall be noth- 
ing. And thorns shall come up in her palaces, 
nettles and brambles in the fortresses thereof, 
and it shall be an habitation of dragons, and a 
court for owls." 

The next two verses, the 14th and 15th, are 
a similar picture, all of which represent A 
CONDITION POSITIVELY INCOMPAT- 
IBLE TO A LITERAL FIRE MADE OF 
ACTUAL PITCH AND BRIMSTONE. Be- 
tween this and a description of the out- 
come is this important injunction, "Seek 
ye out of the book of the Lord, and 
read." This is immeasurably important. 
We are often admonished by theologians 
against too free literalizing, or too free 
spiritualizing of the Scriptures. This is 
good advice, but it comes in bad taste 

132 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

from any one who adopts the rule of 
literalizing or spiritualizing subservient only 
to creed, or mere taste. THE RULE SHOULD 
BE TO SPIRITUALIZE OR LITERALIZE, 
FINDING PERMISSION AS TO WHEN, 
HOW, AND TO WHAT EXTENT IN THE 
BIBLE. We can find no just excuse for tak- 
ing liberty with the above language descriptive 
of the destruction of the heavens and earth, 
since, immediately following it, THE GRAVE 
RESPONSIBILITY IS ASSUMED IN 
AUTHORITATIVE LANGUAGE, and we 
have need only to ATTENTIVELY READ, to 
know. 

Following Isaiah's injunction to SEEK OUT 
OF THE BOOK OF THE LORD, and read, 
ARE THE WORDS BELOW. "The wilder- 
ness and the solitary place shall be glad for 
them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom 
as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and 
rejoice even with joy and singing; the glory of The New State 
Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency - ls HERE and 
of Carmel and Sharon; THEY SHALL SEE NOW. 
THE GLORY OF THE LORD, AND THE 
EXCELLENCY OF OUR GOD. Strengthen 
ye the weak hands, and confirm the weak knees. 

133 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be 
strong, fear not; behold, your God shall come 
See particu- with vengeance, even GOD WITH A RECOM- 
larly Isa. 63:4. PENCE; he will come and save you." We 
cannot misplace or misunderstand these ex- 
planatory words, because of THESE TWO 
PARALLELS referring to "the day of the 
Lord's vengeance and recompence." The con- 
summation being called IT, (see Is. 24:8; and 
the restoration being also THUS DENOMI- 
NATED. This day of vengeance coupled with 
recompence, first called a day, or time of con- 
summation by fire, is in connection made TO 
MEAN A TIME OF TRANSITION, A GO- 
ING OVER FROM A DESERT STATE TO 
THAT OF A BLOSSOMING, FRUITFUL 
STATE. And further, it reads, (< THEN 
THE EYES OF THE BLIND SHALL BE 
OPENED, and the ears of the deaf shall be un- 
stopped. THEN SHALL THE LAME 
MAN LEAP AS AN HART, and the' tongue 
of the dumb sing ; for in the wilderness shall 
waters break out, and streams in the desert. 
And the parched ground shall become a pool, 
and the thirsty lands springs of water; in the 
habitation of dragons where each lay, shall be 

134 



, CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

grass, with reeds and rushes. And an highway 
shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called, 
The way of holiness: the unclean shall not pass 
over it; but it shall be for those; the wayfaring 
men, though fools, shall not err therein. No 
lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall 
go up thereon, it shall not be found there ; but the 
redeemed shall walk there; and the ransomed 
of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with 
songs, and everlasting joy upon their heads ; 
they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow 
and sighing shall flee away." 

John's vision, on the Isle of Patmos, brings 
also into view this NEW HEAVEN AND 
EARTH STATE, AND SO INTER- The New- 
MINGLES EXPLANATION WITH State is HER *j 

STATEMENT THAT MISAPPREHEN- JJ^ «s!L 
SION IS IMPOSSIBLE. See Rev. 21. "And S o." 
I SAW A NEW HEAVEN AND A NEW 
EARTH: FOR THE FIRST HEAVEN 
AND THE FIRST EARTH WERE PASSED 
AWAY ; and there was no more sea. And 
I, John, saw THE HOLY CITY, NEW 
JERUSALEM, COMING DOWN FROM 
GOD OUT OF HEAVEN, PREPARED AS 
A BRIDE ADORNED FOR HER HUS- 

135 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING 

BAND." As previously stated, the 2nd verse 
of Rev. 21, begins the exposition of the state- 
ment of the 1st verse, as does the 18th verse 
of Isaiah 65 begin the explanation of the verse 
preceding it. "Prepared as A BRIDE 
ADORNED for her husband," in meaning, is 
made clearly intelligible by the 9th and 10th 
verses, and as an illumination on the first verse 
IS ALL THAT IS NECESSARY. They are, 
"And there came unto me one of the seven 
angels which had the seven vials full of the 
seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying 
COME HITHER, I WILL SHEW THEE 
THE BRIDE, THE LAMB'S WIFE. And 
he carried me away in the spirit to a great and 
high mountain, AND SHEWED ME THAT 
GREAT CITY, THE HOLY JERUSALEM, 
DESCENDING OUT OF HEAVEN FROM 
GOD!' THE 'BRIDE, THE LAMB'S 
WIFE, IS THE ALLEGORICAL OR 
FIGURATIVE WAY OF SPEAKING OF 
THE CHURCH. This can be seen by refer- 
ence to Rev. 19:7-9, Matt. 25:9, 10, II Cor. 
11:2, Eph. 5:30-32. THIS, I am aware, IS 
A SETTLED QUESTION, over which there 
is no difference of opinion. 

136 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

THE NEXT FOUR VERSES REPRE- 
SENT THIS CITY AS "HAVING the glory 
of God, and her light was like unto a stone most 
precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as 
crystal; And had a wall great and high, and 
had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, 
and names written thereon, which are the names 
of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: 
On the east three gates; on the north three 
gates ; on the south three gates ; and on the 
west three gates. And the wall of the city had 
twelve foundations, and in them the names of 
the twelve apostles of the Lamb." IF THE 
FOUNDATIONS OF THIS CITY, or temple, 
ARE THE TWELVE APOSTLES OF THE 
LAMB, AND ITS GATES THE TWELVE 
TRIBES OF ISRAEL. The INFERENCE 
IS EASY. To assist us, if needful, we might 
turn to Eph. 2 : 19-22. The language is this : 
"Now, therefore, ye are NO MORE STRAN- 
GERS AND FOREIGNERS, but fellow-citi- 
zens with the saints, and of the household of 
God ; And ARE BUILT UPON THE FOUN- 
DATION OF THE APOSTLES AND 
PROPHETS, JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF 
BEING THE CHIEF CORNER STONE: IN 



137 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 



ness. 
Temple- 
Growth. 



WHOM all the building, FITLY FRAMED 
TOGETHER, GROWETH UNTO AN 
HOLY TEMPLE IN THE LORD: In whom 
Progressive- ye also are builded together for an habitation 
of God through the spirit." Notice, THIS 
TEMPLE IS NOT A COMPLETION, 
OR PERFECTION, INSTANTANEOUSLY 
SEIZED OR CONFERRED ; but being first in 
order, established upon the prophets, and sec- 
ondly, upon the apostles, they being FITTING- 
LY FRAMED TOGETHER, and into which 
all believers are builded, it " GROWETH 
UNTO A HOLY TEMPLE IN THE LORD." 
See also I Cor. 3 : 16, and II Cor. 6 : 16 "Know 
ye not that YE ARE THE TEMPLE OF 
GOD, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in 
you?" The next, "And what agreement hath 
the temple of God with idols? FOR YE ARE 
THE TEMPLE OF THE LIVING GOD; as 
God hath said, I will dwell IN THEM, and 
walk IN THEM; and I will be their God, and 
they shall be my people." 

John, in his description of the new heaven and 
new earth, paraphrases upon it as "the taber- 
nacle of God with men," and employs language 
in thus doing very nearly like that of Paul as 



138 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

cited above. He says, "Behold the tabernacle 
(temple) of God is with men, and he will dwell 
with them, and they shall be his people, and 
God himself shall be with them, and be their 
God." Paul's reference in the words, "as God 
hath said," must be as found in Ez. 43 : 7, Zech. 
2:10-12. The reference to Zech. 2: in which 
are the words of Paul, or their equivalent, is a 
chapter devoted to AN ANTICIPATORY 
VIEW OF JERUSALEM IN HER SPIRIT- 
UALLY ADVANCED AND ENRICHED 
ESTATE. The following are some of the 
words employed, "And, behold, the angel that 
talked with me went forth, and another angel 
went out to meet him, And said unto him, Run, 
speak to this young man, saying, JERUSALEM 
SHALL BE INHABITATED AS TOWNS 
WITHOUT WALLS (without limit) FOR 
THE MULTITUDE OF MEN AND CAT- 
TLE THEREIN. FOR I, SAITH THE Infinit y the 
LORD, WILL BE UNTO HER A WALL ^tdeo f the 
OF FIRE ROUND ABOUT, AND WILL BE Temple. 
THE GLORY IN THE MIDST OF HER!' 
Her expansion is in these words : "FOR I 
HAVE SPREAD YOU ABROAD AS THE 
FOUR WINDS OF HEAVEN, said the Lord," 
i.e., FILLED THE EARTH WITH HIS 
139 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

HOLY 'TEMPLE. The reader will be the 
better prepared to appreciate the writer's as- 
signed meaning to this, if he or she WILL 
READ FROM THE 7TH VERSE OF THE 
PRECEDING CHAPTER TO THE LAST. 
Peruse with Right here I deem it proper to notice how com- 
Care These mon ft [ s among pretentiously careful and criti- 
Comparisons. ^ students of the Bible to fall into THE 

SERIOUS AND MOST RIDICULOUS ER- 
ROR in interpreting the prophecies relating to 
the restoration of Israel, or the re-establishing 
her in her own land, and in her temple worship, 
MAKING THEM TO MEAN THAT SHE 
IS TO REOCCUPY THE VERY LAND 
GIVEN TO HER WHEN FREED FROM 
EGYPTIAN BONDAGE; AND BE PRIVI- 
LEGED TO REBUILD THEIR TEMPLE on 
a surpassingly richer and grander scale, all 
moreover, BOUNDED BY LINES THAT 
MUST ADMIT OF MEASURABLE PRO- 
PORTIONS. Strangely enough, this blunder 
they commit in the face of the repeated state- 
ment that the New-Jerusalem state is bounded 
only by walls THAT ARE PLACED NOT 
HERE OR THERE, LOCALLY. The de- 
scription given in Rev. 21 : of the new Jeru- 

140 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING 

salem, though AT FIRST SIGHT apparently 
subject to MEASUREMENT BY RODS, 
REEDS OR CUBITS, ON CAREFUL AND 
THOROUGH READING IT APPEARS 
THAT THAT WHICH AT FIRST SEEMS 
TO BE A MEASURE, IN FIGURES, IS 
NOT THAT AT ALL. 

The apparently probable measurement of the 
city in miles, of fifteen hundred in length and 
the same in breadth and height, is A REPRE- 
SENTATIVE MEASUREMENT SUGGES- 
TIVE OF A FASTNESS THAT FIGURES 
CANNOT DESCRIBE; and the conception is 
justified in the words, "And he measured the 
wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four 
cubits, according to THE MEASURE OF A ™e Tem P le ' 
MAN, THAT IS, OF THE ANGEL," (the 
spiritual man). Consistent with the revealed 
fact that this city is THE BRIDE, THE 
LAMB'S WIFE, MAN REDEEMED {THE 
CHURCH) IS THAT CITY, hence its meas- 
ure as stated. MAN as an individual, or as 
a composite body of few or many men, IS IN 
EITHER CASE A FULL MEASURE. ONE 
MAN IS THE TEMPLE, OR ABODE OF 
DEITY, AS PERFECTLY AS IS A BODY 

141 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

OF A MILLION MEN. There can be noth- 
ing further, or different, found in the body com- 
posed of many, than there is in one person. AS 
IN THE OCEAN, ALL THERE IS THAT 
IS ESSENTIALLY IN THE WHOLE, IS 
TO BE FOUND IN ONE DROP, so it must 
be that the particulars of one drop embrace 
ALL there is in the body. THUS OF MAN, 
EITHER AS AN INDIVIDUAL MAN OR 
A BODY OF MEN, NOTHING MORE OR 
LESS, IN EITHER CASE, IS DESCRIBED 
IN THIS MEASURE. When God made man 
in his own image, the more easily conceivable 
way in which he did this must be, as it appears 
to me, in CREATING HIM A PERFECT 
COPY OF HIMSELF, not in form, but in 
ESSENCE. GOD, IN ATTRIBUTES AND 
MORAL PERFECTION, IS THE FATHER 
OF HIS IMAGE IN MAN, or, in the fact of 
likeness to Deity, MAN IS IN KIND LIKE 
HIM. Strictly, "he is the offspring of God," 
thus, AGREEABLE TO THE RULES OF 
The Tern le S0NSHIP > HE IS A LIMITED REPRO- 
Man is God's AUCTION, and thus is properly, as the Scrip- 
HABITA- tures represent, the abode of God, his temple. 
TION. THE MAN CHRIST IS IN GOD, AND GOD 

142 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

IS IN CHRIST. (See John 17:21) JESUS 
IS OF THE CAPACITY TO CONTAIN 
THE GODHEAD BODILY. MAN, OF 
LESSER CAPACITY, CONTAINS THE 
SAME IN ESSENCE MEASURABLY. 

Further along in the description of this city, 
WHICH AT FIRST, REPRESENTATIVE- 
LY, APPEARS TO BE SUBJECT TO 
DIMENSIONS, it is said of it, "And I saw 
NO TEMPLE THEREIN: FOR THE LORD 
GOD ALMIGHTY AND THE LAMB ARE 
THE TEMPLE OF IT." See verse 22. Even 
the light of the city does not proceed from the 
moon or sun; but "the glory of God and the 
Lamb are the light thereof." See verse 23. 
The 5th verse of the 22nd chapter is a restate- 
ment of the condition as to light, with the ad- 
ditional information to the effect that there is 
to be no night there. This, however, IS NOT 
EVIDENCE THAT THE LITERAL NIGHT 
AND DAY ARE OBLITERATED. The 23rd 
verse of Isaiah 66: can be produced as proof 
that DAY AND NIGHT AS OF OLD CON- 
TINUE, and that measurement of TIME BY 
DAYS AND WEEKS IS STILL INTACT 
AND COTEMPORANEOUS WITH THIS 



143 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

NEW HEAVEN AND EARTH STATE. The 
great company that John saw of all nations, 
kindreds, peoples and tongues, which stood be- 
fore the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed 
with white robes, having come up out of great 
tribulation, he says of it, "Therefore are they 
before the throne of God, and SERVE HIM 
DAY AND NIGHT IN HIS TEMPLE." If 
there is any part of Revelation that has refer- 
ence TO THE FINAL FUTURE, IT IS THE 
7TH CHAPTER OF THE BOOK, as this 
chapter speaks of things that take place follow- 
ing that which is described in the 6th chapter 
as events occurring under the opening of the 
sixth seal ; all of which is described in the last 
six verses, and is included in THE TIME 
CALLED THE "GREAT DAY OF THE 
WRATH OF THE LAMB." One has only 
TO EXAMINE INTO THE SIXTH AND 
SEVENTH SEAL EVENTS TO SEE THAT 
THE LITERAL NIGHT AND DAY ARE 
STILL IN VOGUE. The eighth chapter, 
which is an account of the opening of the 
seventh seal, locates the TRANSPIRING OF 
ALL THE EVENTS, under the opening of 
this last seal, ON THE EARTH. The glory 



144 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

of the church in the abundant access of the 
Gentiles, as presented in Is. 60:, and gives a 
clear view of this "need of no sun-and-moon" 
problem. Here is a part of the chapter, the 
part that relates to the culmination of this great 
accession. "The sons also of them that af- 
flicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and 
all they that despised thee shall bow themselves 
down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall 
call thee, The city of the Lord, the Zion of the 
Holy One of Israel. Whereas thou hast been 
forsaken and hated, so that no man went 
through thee, / WILL MAKE THEE AN 
ETERNAL EXCELLENCY, a joy of many 
generations. Thou shalt also suck the milk of 
the Gentiles, and thou shalt suck the breast of 
kings: and thou shalt know that I the Lord 
am the Saviour and thy Redeemer, the Mighty 
One of Jacob. For brass I will bring gold, and 
for iron I will bring silver, and for wood 
brass, and for stones iron: I will also make 
thy officers peace, and thine exactors righteous- 
ness. Violence shall no more be heard in the 
land, wasting nor destruction within thy 
borders : but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, 



145 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

The Sun and and thy gates Praise. THE SUN SHALL 
Moon No BE NO MORE THY LIGHT BY DAY; 

L ° nge N a ? eH " NEITHER F0R BRIGHTNESS SHALL 
gious Need. rpHE M0QN Gl y R LIGHT UNTO THEE: 

BUT THE LORD SHALL BE UNTO THEE 
AN EVERLASTING LIGHT, AND THY 
GOD THY GLORY. Thy sun shall no more 
go down: neither shall thy moon withdraw it- 
self: for the Lord shall be thine everlasting 
light, and the days of thy mourning shall be 
ended. Thy people also shall be all righteous : 
THEY SHALL INHERIT THE LAND 
FOREVER, the branch of my planting, the 
work of my hands, that I may be glorified. A 
little one shall become a thousand, and a small 
one a strong nation: / THE LORD WILL 
HASTEN IT IN HIS TIME!' 

This is sufficient to show that it is not neces- 
sary to the state represented, as one in which 
we need not the light of the sun or moon, or 
that the time and occasion for their services 
should be over. IT SIMPLY MEANS THAT 
THEIR LIGHT IS NOT NEEDED, AS 
THEY DO NOT FIGURE IN THE SPIRIT- 
UAL REALM. IN SUCH A STATE PEOPLE 
ARE NOT WALKING BY THE SIGHT OF 

146 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

THEIR EYES. THE PURE IN HEART 
SEE GOD WITHOUT THE AID OF 
MATERIAL LIGHTS. This quotation from 
Isaiah is also CONFIRMATORY TESTI- 
MONY ON THE SIDE OF MEASURE- 
MENT THAT DOES NOT LIMIT BY SET 
BOUNDS. In this chapter, DEVOTED TO 
THE GLORIOUS EXALTATION AND AD- 
VANCE OF THE CHURCH, IS TO BE 
FOUND ABUNDANT EVIDENCE THAT 
THIS STATE ATTAINED TO HERE IS 
THE ONE SO MUCH TALKED OF AND 
WRITTEN ABOUT, rather than the one be- 
yond the times of earthly kings and kingdoms. 
Returning now to Rev. 21 : in a further descrip- 
tion of this NEW -HEAVEN -AND-EARTH The Cit y is 
STATE, we find that the kings of this earth, ^^%™* 1 
and also the nations of this earth, BRING tions are Now 
THEIR GLORY AND HONOR INTO IT. Bringing 
See verses 23 to 26. "And the city had no need Their Honor 
of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: into Jt 
FOR THE GLORY OF GOD DID LIGHTEN 
IT, AND THE LAMB IS THE LIGHT 
THEREOF. AND THE NATIONS OF 
THEM WHICH ARE SAVED shall walk in 
the light of it: and the kings of the earth do 

147 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

bring their glory and honor into it. And the 
gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for 
there shall be no night there. And they shall 
bring the glory and honor of the nations into 
it." 

Agreeable to prevailing views, and that which 
would be consistent with the finally saved, or 
the state we talk about and think of, beyond 
the bound of time and space, SALVATION, 
AS MERELY AN OUTCOME, IS HARDLY 
ADMISSIBLE. THE ENTERING OF THE 
GATE INTO THE CITY OF THE PURE- 
LY SPIRITUAL WORLD, OR FINAL 
HEAVEN, IS NOT BY NATIONS, AS IS 
STATED IN REV. 21 : 24. The second verse 
of the next chapter refers to a tree that stands 
in the midst of this city, with its leaves and fruit- 
age serving the purpose of healing the nations 
of the earth, BUT NOT AFTER THEY 
HAVE BEEN HEALED AND ARE SAFE 
IN THE CITY. It is NOW the healing 
remedy OF WHICH THE NATIONS OF 
THE WORLD ARE PARTAKING, and will 
continue thus to do UNTIL SAVED AS A 
WHOLE, or so nearly so as to render it con- 
sistent to say of it, IT IS A SAVED NATION. 



148 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

SUCH A SALVATION WILL BE PRO- 
GRESSIVELY OBTAINED. 

This is the optimistic idea of David, see Ps. 
22:26-28. "The meek shall eat and be satis- 
fied; they shall praise the Lord that seek him: 
your heart shall live forever. ALL THE 

ENDS OF THE WORLD SHALL REMEM- ™? is * Real " 

ization of 

BER AND TURN UNTO THE LORD; and John l2:32 . 
all the kindreds of the nations shall worship be- 
before thee. FOR THE KINGDOM IS THE 
LORD'S; AND HE IS THE GOVERNOR 
AMONG THE NATIONS." This is brought 
about by and in the reign of Christ in the earth. 
Isaiah states it thus : See Is. 52 : 13-15. "Be- 
hold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall 
be exalted and extolled, and be very high. As 
many were astonished at thee; his visage was 
so marred more than any man, and his form 
more than the sons of men ; SO SHALL HE 
SPRINKLE MANY NATIONS: THE 
KINGS SHALL SHUT THEIR MOUTHS 
AT HIM: FOR THAT WHICH HAD NOT 
BEEN TOLD THEM, SHALL THEY SEE, 
AND THAT WHICH THEY HAD NOT 
HEARD, SHALL THEY CONSIDER." 

Isaiah, in the 66th chapter, in the course of 

149 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

his paraphrasing upon the new-heaven-and- 
earth state, especially in showing what it shall 
eventuate in, says, "For I know their works 
and their thoughts : IT SHALL COME, THAT 
I WILL GATHER ALL NATIONS AND 
TONGUES; AND THEY SHALL COME 
AND SEE MY GLORY:' 

THIS IS THE UN LOCATED CITY OF 
GOD IN THE EARTH. See Ex. 38: 11. "And 
thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of un- 
walled villages: I will go to them that are at 
rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling 
without walls, and having neither bars nor 
gates." See also Zee. 2 : 45, and Is. 33 : 20-22. 



150 



CHAPTER XL 



The View-Point of Modern Scholarship As 
to the Date of Revelation. 

In closing, I revert to my promise to FUR- 
NISH EVIDENCE THAT THE BOOK OF 
REVELATION ANTEDATES THE DE- 
STRUCTION OF JERUSALEM. 

As already shown, the EVIDENCE IS IN ^he Book's 
J ' lestimony. 

THE LANGUAGE OF THE BOOK; but I 

will, in this place, quote good authority for the 
claim, such as is as good, when considered, as 
is any that deals in abstract evidence or data. 
I refer to "Biblical Hermeneutics," written by 
Milton S. Terry, S. T. D., Professor of Old Dr. Terry. 
Testament Exegesis in Garrett Biblical Insti- Page 139 * 
tute, Evanston, 111. This book is a text book, 
and provided by the Methodist Episcopal Con- 
ference as one of the studies in the preparatory 
course for the ministry. The following is in 
part what the noted author says concerning the 
date of the book of Revelation. 

"What should especially impress every 
reader is THE EMPHATIC STATEMENT, 

151 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 



European 
Scholars. 
and Others. 



PLACED IN THE VERY TITLE OF THE 
BOOK and REPEATED in one form and an- 
other again and again that THIS IS A REVE- 
LATION of 'THINGS WHICH MUST 
SHORTLY COME TO PASS/ and to add to 
the statement prominence and importance it is 
in substance reiterated in these words, 'AND 
THE TIME IS AT HAND/" And the 
author adds, in a lengthy treatise covering 
something like five pages, AN IMPORTANT 
REFERENCE TO SEVERAL EMINENT 
AUTHORITIES AS GIVEN BELOW. 

"The trend," he says, "of modern criticism 
is unmistakeably toward the adoption of THE 
EARLY DATE OF THE APOCALYPSE, 
though the best scholars differ. Elliott, Heng- 
stenberg, Lang, Alford and Whedon contend 
strongly THAT THE TESTIMONY OF 
IRENAEUS AND ANCIENT TRADITION, 
OUGHT TO CONTROL THE QUESTION, 
while, on the other hand, Luke, Neander, Dee 
Watte, Ewald, Bleek, Auberlen, Hillgenfeld, 
Dusterduck, Stuart, Macdonald, Davidson, 
Lightfoot, Glasgow, Farrar, Westcott, Cowels 
and Schaff, maintain that the book according 
to its own internal evidence MUST HAVE 



152 



Christ's second coming. 

BEEN WRITTEN BEFORE 'THE DE- 
STRUCTION OF JERUSALEM. The last 
named scholar, in the new edition of his Church 
History (Vol. I, pp. 834-837) revokes his ac- 
ceptance of the Domitian date which he affirmed 
thirty years ago, and now maintains that the 
internal EVIDENCE OF AN EARLIER Dr - Schaff . 

DATE OUTWEIGHS THE EXTERNAL Jr hanges Hls 

Opinion. 

TRADITION. Says Professor Terry: 
"Writers on both sides of this question have 
probably been too much INFLUENCED BY 
SOME THEORY OF THE SEVEN KINGS 
AS FOUND IN HERMENEUTICS, chap. 
XVII (see Bib. Her. page 371) AND HAVE 
PLACED THE COMPOSITION MUCH 
LATER THAN VALID EVIDENCE WAR- 
RANTS." 

Glasgow, in his 'Apoc. Trans'd. and Ex- 
pounded,' pp. 9-38, adduces proof not easy to 
be set aside, that THE REVELATION WAS 
WRITTEN BEFORE ANY OF THE 
EPISTLES, probably SOMEWHERE BE- 
TWEEN A. D. 40 AND 54. Is it not sup- Probably 
posable that ONE REASON WHY PAUL ^ ^ efore 
WAS FORBIDDEN TO PREACH THE 
WORD IN WESTERN ASIA (see Acts 

153 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

16:6) WAS THAT JOHN WAS EITHER 

ALREADY THERE, OR ABOUT TO 

ENTER ? The prevalent opinion that the First 

Epistle of John was written after the fall of 

Jerusalem, rests on uncertain evidence. To 

assume from the writer's use of the term 'little 

children,' that he was very far advanced in 

years, is futile. John was probably no older 

than Paul, but some time before the fall of 

even een Jerusalem the latter was wont to speak of him- 
Scholars. 

self as 'Paul the aged' (see Philemon, verse 

9)." 

IT CANNOT BE REASONABLY CON- 
TROVERTED THAT TERRY, BACKED 
BY SEVENTEEN NOTED SCHOLARS 
AND AUTHORS, IN HIS POSITION 
TAKEN AS ABOVE, HAS GOOD SUP- 
PORT. In Rabbinical literature it is said that 
he has few if any superiors. Of the other 
names it may be justly said, they stand high in 
the galaxy of Bible expositors. 

Further, and lastly, on the question of the 
date of Revelation I subjoin the following 
reasoning of the author of Bible Hermeneutics. 
He says (see page 139), "If the Seer, writing 
a few years before the terrible catastrophe, had 

154 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

the destruction of Jerusalem and its attendant 
woes before him, all these expressions have a 
force and definiteness which every interpreter 
must recognize ; BUT IF THE THINGS CON- 
TEMPLATED WERE IN THE DISTANT 
FUTURE, these simple words of time ("NEAR 
AT HAND," ETC.) must be SUBJECTED 
TO THE MOST UNNATURAL TREAT- 
MENT IN ORDER TO MAKE THE 
STATEMENT of the writer COMPATIBLE 
WITH THE EXPOSITION." 

On page 137 of Hermeneutics may be found 
the author's objection to the claim that John 
was on the Isle of Patmos as an exile, at the 
time of his mysterious vision, but that he was 
there "FOR THE WORD OF GOD," I e., for 
the express purpose of receiving it, and penning A Late Date 
it for publicity, and adds, "Turning now Not Re( l uired - 
to inquire what internal evidence may be found 
touching the historical standpoint of the writer 
observe: (1) THAT NO CRITIC OF ANY 
NOTE HAS EVER CLAIMED THAT THE 
LATER DATE IS REQUIRED BY ANY IN- 
TERNAL EVIDENCE; (2) on the other 
hand, if John the apostle is the author, the com- 
paratively rough Hebraic style of the language 

155 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 



Be Free-Mind- 
ed. 



Henry Ward 
Beecher. 



unquestionably argues for it AN EARLIER 
DATE THAN THE GOSPELS OR 
EPISTLES." 

I might carry the argument on with undi- 
minished strength until a voluminous work was 
the result, but this is sufficient, however, if 
studiously read, to awaken investigation; and, 
I even flatter myself, there is enough argument 
furnished herein to convince an unbiased mind, 
or at least to incline one to a favorable opinion 
of the treatise. There should be sufficient 
moral courage and independence in every en- 
lightened man of today to deliver him from 
UNCONDITIONAL CREED DOMINION, 
and leave him FREE TO INVESTIGATE, 
especially any subject that vitally affects one's 
spiritual life and interests. This, together with 
the strong internal evidence in the Apocalypse, 
THAT IT IS A REVELATION OF THINGS 
SOON TO BE ACCOMPLISHED, OR SET 
IN MOTION TOWARDS ACCOMPLISH- 
MENT, MAKES THE CLAIM AS HEREIN 
PRESENTED STRONGLY, VALID. 

Rev. Henry Ward Beecher, whose opinion is 
worthy of notice, said, in effect — I am not able 
to give his exact words — that it was his candid 



156 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

opinion that the book of Revelation was a 
MYSTICAL ANTICIPATION OF CON- 
DITIONS AND EVENTS BELONGING 
WHOLLY TO TIME. A short space devoted 
to A CLUE TO A FEW OF THE AUTHORS 
who are cited as authorities for such data AS 
FAVOR AN EARLY DATE OF REVELA- 
TION is in place here. 

LUCKE was an eminent German theologian, Lucke. 
born at Engeln in 1791. His Commentary on 
the writings of Saint John is esteemed as one 
of the best of the kind. NEANDER is another Neander. 
German writer, and an eminent theologian, born 
at Gottingen in 1789, who became a professor 
at Berlin in 1812, and who said, "WE STAND 
ON THE LINE BETWEEN THE OLD 
WORLD AND THE NEW ABOUT TO BE 
CALLED INTO BEING BY THE EVER 
FRESH ENERGY OF THE GOSPEL." His 
writings have obtained great reputation. 
EWALD is also another eminent German Ori- Ewald. 
entalist, and Biblical critic, who was born at 
Gottingen in 1803. He became a professor of 
philosophy in the University of Gottingen in 
1827, and of Oriental languages in the same 
University in 1835. BLEEK is still another Bleek. 

157 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 



Arnsbok. 



Stuart. 



Davidson. 



Lightfoot. 



No Scriptural 
Support for 
the "Literal 
Destruction" 
Theory and 
None for a 
"Future Set- 
ting Up" of 
the Kingdom, 
but for a Fu- 
ture "Giving 
Up" of the 
Kingdom. 



German theological professor, born in 1793. 
ARNSBOK was a prominent German orthodox 
theologian, born at Fullbach in Wurtemberg in 
1824. He was the author of "The prophet 
Daniel and the Revelation of John, Considered 
In Their Reciprocal Relations." MOSES STU- 
ART was an American theologian, and a Con- 
gregational divine, born at Wilton, Conn., in 
1780, and was appointed in 1809 Professor of 
Sacred Literature at Andover Theological Sem- 
inary, which post he held for thirty years. REV. 
SAMUEL DAVIDSON, born at Ballymena, 
Ireland, in 1808, was an Irish dissenter, and a 
most noted Biblical critic. REV. JOHN 
LIGHTFOOT, born in Staffordshire, England, 
in 1642, was a Presbyterian, and an excellent 
Hebrew scholar. Of others of the above list, 
no less noted, we need not speak. 

In conclusion, I dare to say: THERE IS 
NOT ONE PASSAGE OF SCRIPTURE, in 
either the Old or New Testament, WHEN 
UNDERSTOOD IN ITS INTENDED 
MEANING, that can be used in support of 
THE THEORY OF THE LITERAL DE- 
STRUCTION OF THE EARTH. NEITHER 
IS THERE ONE PASSAGE THAT CON- 



158 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

TAINS THE TEACHING THAT THERE 
IS NOW A FUTURE COMING OF 
CHRIST, AT WHICH TIME HE WILL SET 
UP HIS, OR A KINGDOM. God set up his 
kingdom in the earth when he finished it, and 
placed upon it the human family. THE 
ORDER OF ADMINISTERING IT AMONG 
MEN has not, from first till now, been uniform 
in method. Notice: In Matt. 21:33-34, is 
found the idea of the PRIOR EXISTENCE 
OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD. Christ, in 
his parable of the householder who planted a 
vineyard, represented that GOD WAS THE 
HOUSEHOLDER; AND THAT HE HAD 
LET OUT HIS VINEYARD which he had 
planted to husbandmen. Those husbandmen, as 
it is generally understood, were of a JEWISH 
FIRM, KINGS, PRIESTS, PROPHETS AND 
ELDERS. They had CONDUCTED THIS 
ENTERPRISE, as it seems from the descrip- 
tion, PURELY IN THEIR OWN INTER- 
ESTS, AND REFUSED, AT THE TIME OF 
FRUIT GATHERING, TO MAKE RE- 
TURNS TO THE PROPER OWNER; AND 
PROCEEDED TO DISPOSE OF ONE COL- 
LECTOR AFTER ANOTHER, EVEN TO 



159 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

THE LAST, the only son and legitimate heir; 
the consequence of which is stated in verse 43 
thus: "THEREFORE I SAY UNTO THEE, 
THE KINGDOM OF GOD SHALL BE 
TAKEN FROM YOU AND GIVEN TO A 
NATION BRINGING FORTH THE 
FRUITS THEREOF:' The unequivocal 
teaching of this verse is that THE KINGDOM 
OF GOD WAS HERE WHEN CHRIST 
CAME IN THE FLESH. The IDEA OF 
TRANSFER is also found in Matt. 8: 11, 12. 
The words are: "And I say unto you that many 
shall come from the East, and West, and shall 
sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob 
in the kingdom of heaven. BUT THE CHIL- 
DREN OF THE KINGDOM (REFERRING 
TO THE JEWS) SHALL BE CAST OUT 
into outer darkness, and there shall be weeping 
and gnashing of teeth." 

The kingdom of God is an everlasting king- 
dom. ETERNAL is the word, in place of ever- 
lasting, that SHOULD BE EMPLOYED TO 
EXPRESS ADEQUATELY ITS DURA- 
TION. It never began and will never end. And 
consistent with this claim must be all forms of 
it, though sometimes seemingly not so. When 

160 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

in Daniel 2: 44, 45, we read that God is to 
SET UP a kingdom, the probable time being 
some time in the days of the Roman kingdom, 
THE MEANING IS NOT THAT AT THAT 
TIME GOD WAS TO BEGIN A KINGDOM. 
The one that was to be SET UP is the one 
He TOOK FROM the Jews. Under the 
PRESENT form of administration, God pur- 
poses to continue His kingdom in the earth 
until the model prayer is answered, answering 
to the part, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be 
done on earth as it is in heaven." TO { THIS 
END, the saving of the world, for which Christ 
lived here in the flesh, suffered and died, should 
we also live, believe, pray and work for. NOT 
UNDER THE INCENTIVE OF THE RE- 
WARD THAT COMES AFTER DEATH; } 
BUT FOR THE GRAND AND GLORIOUS 
END OF REDEEMING THE WORLD. 
Abraham, with all of those illustrious names 
recorded in the 11th chapter of Hebrews, as 
shining examples of faith, are not to be accred- 
ited with being moved by their estimate of 
REWARD VALUES ON COMMERCIAL 
LINES. They ALL had respect unto the 
recompense of reward, but the REWARD 

161 



wards. 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

THEY HAD IN THEIR EYE WAS THAT 
OF THE FULFILLMENT OF THE PROM- 
ISE OF GOD, concerning the advance of His 
truth, the enhancement of His kingdom in the 
earth. The Old Testament saints were never 
losing time and strength in talking about RE- 
Reward in At- MUNERATION FOR SERVICES IN FINAL 
tainments. FUTURE BLISS AND GLORY, in the world 

to come; but they dwelt upon THE OUTCOME 
OF FAITHFULNESS TO GOD AS THE 
REWARD IN ATTAINMENTS TO BE 
REALIZED IN SOCIETY, IN THE 
CHURCH, AND IN THE WORLD. Read up 
the lives of the old patriarchs and prophets, as 
well as those of godly priests and kings, and 
there cannot be enough found from Genesis to 
the last book of the Old Testament, anticipatory 
of reward in THE FINAL FUTURE LIFE, 
to make one-half of an average chapter of the 
Bible. 

Their ambitions, words and works were all 
WITH REFERENCE TO ACHIEVE- 
MENTS, RATHER THAN THE NARROW 
INCENTIVE FOUND IN FINAL PAY 
DAY. The church has already lost prestige 
and power by dwelling upon DISCHARGE 

162 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

DAY, when the Christian warrior shall be dis- 
charged with honors, and heavily PENSIONED 
FOR ETERNITY. Our ADVENTIST Why a Church 
BRETHREN have grown weaker and weaker, is Weak. 
as years roll by, till there is very little notice 
of their "harvest cry/' As answering to the 
broad prophetic spirit of the gospel, it is very 
FAR SHORT OF BEING REPRESENTA- 
TIVE. THE CLAIM THAT GOD IS 
ABOUT TO GIVE UP HIS PURPOSE to 
subdue His enemies and save the world, is get- 
ting to be understood as a serious reflection on 
Infinite wisdom, power and purpose. If He 
must give up the progressive plan of saving the 
world, and change persuasive means for that of 
force, then the time will have come when THE 
SAVING OF THE WORLD WILL NOT That which 

PROCEED ON THE GOSPEL PLAN. THE willwe ?; kel1 

a church and 
DOCTRINE THAT CHRIST IS SOON TO Methods, True 
COME in flaming fire to take vengeance on the and False, 
unrepentant, and to glorify His saints, may have 
a good effect on the heathen nations, tempor- 
arily; BUT WHEN, IN AFTER YEARS, it 
is discovered to be a doctrine put forward 
WITHOUT SCRIPTURAL WARRANT; and 
the time limit, as fixed by men, of His coming 

163 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

shall have SEVERAL TIMES PASSED, or 
the "right away" time shall have grown to a 
century, the heathen will demur, and there will 
come an UNHEALTHY REACTION. 
The BUSINESS OF THE CHURCH is to 
The PRO- push the kingdom of God out into the remotest 

GRAM for the parts f the earth> IT SHOULD RECEIVE 
church. A BAPTISM p THE SPIRTT OF THE 

PROMISE. "And the kingdom and dominion, 
and the greatness of the kingdom under the 
whole heaven shall be given to the people of 
the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom 
is an everlasting kingdom ; and ALL dominions 
shall serve and obey him." See Dan. 7: 27. 
The above may be intensified by reference to 
"Thou art my Son : this day have I begotten 
The Gift. thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the 

heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost 
parts of the earth for thy possession." Ps. 2: 
7, 8. "All the ends of the world shall remember 
and turn unto the Lord; and all the kindreds of 
the nations shall worship before thee. For the 
kingdom is the Lord's; and he is the governor 
among the nations." Ps. 22 : 27, 28. "Yea, all 
kings shall fall down before him; all nations 
shall serve him." Ps. 72: 11. "All nations 

164 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

whom thou hast made shall come and worship 
before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy 
name." Ps. 86: 9. "Look unto me and be ye 
saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, 
and there is none else." — There is none other 
who can look upon all of the kingdoms of the 
earth and claim THEM AS THEIR KING- 
DOM — "I have sworn by myself (because he 
can swear by none greater, or even his equal), 
the word has gone out of my mouth in right- 
eousness and shall not return, That unto me 
every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear." 
"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, 
O daughter of Jerusalem; behold, thy King 
cometh unto thee; he is just, and having salva- 
tion ; he shall speak peace unto the heathen ; and 
his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and 
from the river even to the ends of the earth." 
Zech. 9: 9, 10. 

THIS IS THE NEW HEAVEN -AN D- 
EARTH STATE. Did any one ever stop to 
consider for a moment that THE REAL 
FINAL HEAVEN, THE PLACE WHERE 
GOD RESIDES, IS THE HEAVENS TO 
WHICH REFERENCE IS MADE IN THE 
MODEL PRAYER, where the petition requests 

165 



Plural 
Heavens. 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 



Heaven 
Removed. 



Successive 
Heavens. 



that GOD'S WILL BE DONE ON EARTH 
AS IT IS IN HEAVEN? IT IS NOT THE 
HEAVEN THAT IS TO BE MADE OVER, 
OR MADE NEW. The heaven where God 
resides does not now, NOR NEVER WILL 
NEED REMODELING. 

Isaiah says that the old heaven will go utterly 
out of remembrance. This cannot refer to the 
heaven where God's will is presently done, and 
has forever been perfectly executed. John says 
of it, on seeing the new appear, that the first 
heaven had passed away. He had previously 
said: "I saw a great white throne, and him 
that sat on it, from whose face the earth and 
the heaven fled away; and THERE WAS 
FOUND NO PLACE FOR THEM." See 
Rev. 21: 1 and 20: 11. 

Peter tells us that IT SHALL BURN UP. 
When John saw the holy city, the new Jeru- 
salem, come down FROM GOD OUT OF 
HEAVEN, the heaven from whence it came 
was that heaven that is as unchangeable and 
abiding as is God's throne. The HEAVEN 
THAT IS SUBIECT TO CHANGE is the one 
in which a devil or devils may be found, and 
out of which they have been and shall be cast, 



166 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

until IT SHALL BE AS FREE OF THEM 
as is the one that is mentioned in the Scriptures 
as the throne of God, and FIVE TIMES 
CALLED "the heaven of heavens." 

A PICTURE HEAVEN, A HEAVEN OUT 
OF HEAVEN, a created heaven, or one that 
is in any way consequent, IS NOT THE 
HEAVEN. Paul was caught up to the THIRD 
HEAVEN in a vision, in the spirit, or bodily, 
HE HIMSELF KNEW NOT HOW— he only 
knew that he was caught up. 

The first and second heaven are creations. 
THE FIRST HEAVEN IS ALREADY 
BURNT UP. It was the OLD ZION } THE 
CHURCH, THE CITY OF GOD; AND HIS 
SAINTS. 

It was merely A REPRESENTATIVE Up to the 
HEAVEN, or HEAVEN IN A FIGURE. Superlative. 
THIS WAS THEN THE BRIDE, THE IN- 
TENDED OF THE LAMB. EVERYTHING 
in this first heaven WAS MADE AFTER A 
PATTERN SHOWN TO MOSES IN THE 
MOUNT, ALL OF A HEAVENLY FASH- 
ION. This was thus designed that there might 
be A PATTERN OF THINGS TO COME, a 
shadow of the substance; and, for the purpose, 

167 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

as Paul states it in Heb. 8: 5, that they who 
served in the city of God should thus serve 
"UNTO THE EXAMPLE AND SHADOW 
OF HEAVENLY THINGS." THESE PAT- 
TERNS of things in the heavens, says Paul, 
were purified with the "blood of calves and 
goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, 
and sprinkling," etc. See Heb. 9: 19 and 23. 

INTO THIS PLACE (HEAVEN), 
WHICH WAS THE FIGURE OF THE 
TRUE HEAVEN, "CHRIST DID NOT 
ENTER." This was a "shadow of the good 
things to come, BUT NOT THE VERY 
IMAGE OF THE THINGS." See Heb. 10: 
1. Christ was to ENTER THE TRUE 
HEAVEN and return to this earth TO EF- 
FECT A UNION OF HEAVEN AND 
EARTH. 
The Heavens THIS IS THE N EW -EARTH- AN D- 
"Classified." HEAVEN STATE, (THE SECOND HEAV- 
EN) THE RESULT OF THE MARRIAGE 
OF THE BRIDE (THE CHURCH) TO THE 
LAMB. Notice, THIS SECOND HEAVEN, 
CALLED THE NEW, HAS STILL IN IT 
THE SERVICE OF THE MOON, the old 
MEASUREMENT OF DAYS AND WEEKS, 

168 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

and in which is still preserved THE SABBATH 
as a regularly recurrent day of rest. See Is. 
66: 23. 

THE FIRST HEAVEN WAS OF THIS 
EARTH EARTHY. It was the temple of God 
built by man, (See Heb. 8: 2 and 9: 11) and TheSecond 
its law was the law of Moses. THE SECOND Heaven 
HEAVEN IS FROM ABOVE, HEAVENLY, cleansed. 
It is the kingdom of God out of which shall 
be gathered all that defileth. "The Son of man 
shall send forth his angels, (ministers) and they 
shall gather out of his kingdom all things that 
offend." Matt. 13: 41. This is Christ's ver- 
sion, and continuing the explanation he says, 
verses 47 and 48, "Again, the kingdom of heaven 
is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, 
and gathered of every kind; which, when if was 
full, they drew to the shore, and sat down, 
and gathered the good into vessels, but cast 
the bad away." THIS, CHRIST DOES NOW. 

THE FIRST HEAVEN HAD AN EARTH- 
LY KING, A MORTAL MAN. THE SEC- 
OND HEAVEN HAS A HEAVENLY KING, 
A GOD-MAN. "THE FIRST MAN IS OF 
THE EARTH, EARTHY, THE SECOND 
MAN IS THE LORD FROM HEAVEN." 

169 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

The first heaven was called the mount of God, 
or Zion, and could be touched. It is allegoric- 
ally represented in the person of HAGAR, who 
was in bondage with her children. See Gal. 
4: 25 and Heb. 12: 18. This first heaven was 
under the old covenant by Moses, and can be 
variously designated Moses, Mount Sinai, 
Hagar, Esau, Ishmael, Jerusalem, Mount Zion, 
the House of David, a kingdom. The second 
heaven is THE CHILD OF THE FREE 
WOMAN, the "JERUSALEM FROM 
ABOVE WHO IS THE MOTHER OF US 
ALL/' This is the Jerusalem that John saw 
come down from God out of heaven. Paul thus 
speaks of it, "But YE ARE COME UNTO 
MOUNT SION, AND UNTO THE CITY OF 
THE LIVING GOD, THE HEAVENLY 
JERUSALEM, and to an innumerable com- 
pany of angels, the general assembly and church 
of the first born," etc., which, further along in 
the same chapter, he calls a kingdom, which 
also, he says, we have received. 

THE TWO HEAVENS ANSWER TO THE 
TWO DISPENSATIONS. The FIRST WAS 
AN ADMINISTRATION UNDER THE 
LAW THAT COULD BE WRITTEN OR 



170 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

GRAVEN ON STONE. THE SECOND IS 

UNDER THE LAW THAT CANNOT BE 
WRITTEN, or graven, only as it is WRIT- 
TEN IN THE HEART. IT IS THE KING- 
DOM OF GOD WITHIN, over which reigns 
the Christ, who cannot be found by ascending 
into heaven above, or by descending into the 
abyss. 

WE ARE NOW IN THE NEW JERU- m w 

Where We are 
SALEM STATE, the second-heaven condition, Now. 

and IT IS OUR BUSINESS to gather out of 
it the things that offend, perfecting it to a state 
where we can present it to God without "spot 
or wrinkle." 

We are enlisted under Christ, THE CAP- 
TAIN WHO IS IN THE SADDLE NOW ON 
THE WHITE HORSE, GOING FORTH 
FROM CONQUERING AND TO CON- 
QUER. OUR PLACE IS IN THIS ARMY, 
AND EVER ON DUTY, PUSHING THE 
ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE KINGDOM, 
AND THUS HASTENING THE FINAL 
COMING OF CHRIST IN THE COMPLETE 
TRIUMPH OF HIS REIGN, AND THE 
HOUR OF HANDING OVER THE VIC- 
TORY TO GOD THE FATHER. 

171 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 



All hail the power of Jesus' name, 
Let angels prostrate fall, 
Bring forth the royal diadem 
And crown Him Lord of all. 



172 



A BIBLE PROBLEM AND STANDARD 
BIBLICAL DIFFICULTY. 



The Cherubim And Flaming Sword. 

"So he (the Lord God) drove out the man; 
and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden 
Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned 
every way, to keep the way of the tree of life." — 
Gen. 3: 24. 

The Bible is a book of many problems ; some 

of them have been solved, and thousands upon 

thousands, lovers of Biblical instruction, skillful , T ^ , 

Natural 
arrangement of related subjects, interdependent Difficulties. 

figures and facts, have examined into them with 
pleasure, great satisfaction and profit. Many 
there are, and always have been, who care very 
little about the mysteries, or obscure parts of 
the Bible. "Searching the Scriptures" to the 
extent, or to the full sense that this injunction 
implies, does not appeal to them, any more than 
does the one, to many a teacher, "Study to show 
thyself approved of God, a workman that need- 
eth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing (classi- 
fying and putting together) the word of truth." 

173 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

To me the great beauty and strength of the 
Bible appears most fully in its complementary 
features of part to part, that of the Old Testa- 
ment in the New, the New in the Old, as a 
whole, and then in particular, as confined alone 
Seed-Idea. to subjects. Like the passage in Gen. 3: "And 
The Two, I will put enmity between thee and the woman, 

Christ and an( j between thy seed and her seed ; it shall 
bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise his heel," 
which forecasts for all time the two contending 
forces, for and against God and His people, 
as well as the final outcome; so the 24th verse 
of this same chapter sets forth an important re- 
lation of an important agency, vitally concerned 
in guarding the way of the tree of life. As a 
faint glimpse of the whole truth, or secret, I 
The Life- will say that this tree of life is still intact, and 
Tree, that the way to it is still open, as it ever has 

been, and as it ever will be as long as time shall 
last. 

The question is, what is THIS agency ? First, 
let me ask, what is it that constitutes this a 
problem? First, in itself, it is a mystical figure 
of speech. It stands out by itself, with nothing 
in immediate connection of an explanatory na- 
ture. Whatever is intended to be its meaning, 

174 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

or serviceable nature, there is not connected 
therewith anything to help to more than a con- 
jectural insight. Bible commentators, generally, 
have been contented to leave it there, giving as 
authority for opinion only conjectural reasons. 
A claimed solution from authority has never 
come to my notice. It is a problem, secondly, Confusions, 
for the reason that it takes parts of the Bible, 
given in types and figures, running through it 
to the last book of the same, to solve it clearly. 
It is not unquestionaably clear until the last 
figure is given, with explanation. With this 

comes the beauty and richness of the first mysti- _, 

Jr rosrressivc 
cal type, and then the full meaning of following Revealinss 

types and figures, down to the last, all of which 
can be only faintly comprehended apart from 
what precedes and follows, touching the same 
thing. 

We have, in the Song of Solomon, in figura- 
tive language, beautiful and impressive, the mu- 
tual love of Christ and his church, the hope and 
calling of the latter, the tender care of her head, 
and precious promises of the same, the battle 
and victory of the church, and a fascinating 
naming of all her rich graces, all of which can Christ-Church, 
be understood and appreciated only in the light 

175 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 



Ezekiel's Tem- 
ple-Church. 



John's Tem- 
ple-Church. 



of the true intent of the figures employed. This 
mystical allegory, in the form of a pastoral, or 
husbandry, in which is represented the recip- 
rocal relation of Christ and his church, under 
figures taken from the endearing relation and 
chaste affection which subsists between bride- 
groom and bride, emblems which are freely em- 
ployed in the Bible, are marvelously enchanting. 
In Ezekiel, commencing with the 40th chapter 
and ending only with the 48th, nine chapters, is 
a detailed and laboured description of a temple, 
which temple, when deciphered as to its true 
meaning or intent, is a figure answering to the 
church. NOTICE the view point of Ezekiel. 
He says, "The hand of the Lord was upon me, 
and brought me thither. In the visions of God 
brought he me into the land of Israel, and set 
me upon a very high mountain, by which was 
the frame of a city." The parallel: John says, 
"And there came unto me one of the seven 
angels, which had the seven vials full of the 
seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, 
Come up hither, I will shew thee the bride, the 
Lamb's wife. And he carried me away in the 
spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed 
me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descend- 



176 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

ing out of heaven from God." Both Ezekiel and 
John were exalted to a mountain height, from 
which they get the view of a city, the new Jeru- 
salem, the new covenant — name. This is what 
it was at John's first view of it, a city. He says, 
"And I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, 
coming down from God out of heaven, prepared 
as a bride adorned for her husband." Here the The Lamb's- 
bride, or the Lamb's wife, and the holy city, the wife under 
New Jerusalem are synonymous. One has only anous yp es - 
to examine into these two descriptions of a city, 
or temple, the vision of Ezekiel and that of John, 
carefully comparing the two, to be satisfied of 
their identity as figures answering to the church. 
The description of the holy-healing waters that Healing 
issued from Ezekiel's house, and the trees that Waters - 
stood on either side, and the waters that proceed 
from the throne of God in the midst of the 
street of the city which John saw, bearing heal- Healing 
ing leaves, confounds the two figures unmis- Leaves, 
takeably, as does the name of which the first- 
named city was to be called, which descriptively 
is, as given in Ezek. 48 : 35, which is, namely : 
"It (the temple) was round about 18,000 meas- 
ures, and the name of the city from that day 
shall be, The Lord is there." In the second case 

177 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 



Ezekiel's Man- 
Temple. 



The Man 
Measure by 
the River 
Figure. 



the parallel is, as given by John, of the temple 
or city, "And I saw no temple therein, for the 
the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the 
temple of it." The 17th verse of the description 
interprets the measure of the temple to be that 
of a man. 

In Ezekiel 47 : 1 to 5, the stature-measure of 
the church is beautifully and strikingly brought 
out in the figure of the holy waters that "issued 
out from under the threshold of the house," 
eastward, and the measure of the rise of the 
same until the stature of a man is described to 
the extent of immeasurable proportions. 

This figure not only sets forth the perfected 
man, which symbol answers to the church ip her 
progressive developmennt up to perfection of 
attainment, but also brings to view the increased 
volume of the gospel river to a depth and 
widened condition sufficient "to cover the earth 
as the waters cover the sea." It becomes waters, 
not to just dip the feet in, or to wade in, but 
waters to bear one up, in which to swim, not 
being able to touch bottom or find shore. Here 
is the figure: 

Ezek. 47 : 1 to 5 : ( 1 ) "Afterward he brought 
me again unto the door of the house; and, be- 



178 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

hold, waters issued out from under the thresh- 
old of the house eastward : for the forefront of 
the house stood toward the east, and the waters 
came down from under from the right side of 
the house, at the south side of the altar. (2) 
Then brought he me out of the way of the gate 
northward, and led me about the way without, 
unto the outer gate by the way that looketh 
eastward; and, behold, there ran out waters on 
the right side. (3) And when the man that 
had the line in his hand went forth eastward, 
he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought 
me through the waters; the waters were to the 
ankles. (4) Again he measured a thousand, 
and brought me through the wateis; the waters 
were to the knees. Again he measured a thou- 
sand, and brought me through ; the waters were 
to the loins. (5) Afterward he measured a 
thousand; and it was a river that I could not 
pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to 
swim in, a river that could not be passed over." 
The church is peculiarly and specially the 
meeting place of God and man; redeemed man, 
as is frequently presented in the Scriptures. In 
this instance the new Jerusalem, called the holy 
city, the bride, the Lamb's wife, the entrances 

179 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

of the house appear under the names of the 
twelve tribes of Israel, and the foundations are 
essentially, as represented, the twelve apostles 
of the Lamb. See Ezek. 48:31 to 34 for a 
corresponding description concerning the gates 
of the city. 

The joining of the names, God's "offspring/' 
man, his created and his only begotten Son as 
an appellation for the place of habitation of God, 
is of authority by the revealed Word of God. In 
Jeremiah 33 : 14, 16, it reads, "Behold the days 
come, saith the Lord, that I will perform that 
good thing which I have promised unto the 
house of Israel, and to the house of Judah. In 
those days, and at that time will I cause the 
Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David, 
and he shall execute judgment and righteous- 
ness in the land. In those days shall Judah be 
saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and 
this is the name wherewith she shall be called, 
The Lord our righteousness." 
Identity of In Jeremiah 23 : 5, 6, it reads, "Behold the 

'She" and d a y S CO me, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto 
David a righteous Branch, and a king shall 
reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment 
and justice in the earth. In his days Judah 

180 



'He.' 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely, 
and this is the name whereby he shall be called, 
THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS." 
These comparisons are consonant with the idea 
that the church is a vine of the right hand 
planting of God, constituted as vine and 
branches, Christ the vine and his people the 
branches. God in Christ, Christ in God, God 
and Christ in man, man in Christ and God, are 
pertinently interchangeable ways of wording 
this peculiarly mysterious identity. 

"Now, therefore, ye are no more strangers 
and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the of .^ Xem- 
saints, and of the household of God; and are pi e> 
built upon the foundation of the apostles and 
prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief 
corner stone, in whom all the building fitly 
framed together groweth unto an holy temple 
in the Lord : in whom ye also are builded to- 
gether for an habitation of God through the 
Spirit." The conjoining of Christ, the proph- 
ets, and New Testament believers, in the house 
or temple of God, is here clearly worded. They 
are each and all units of one thing, so joined 
that any appropriate name for that thing is con- 
sistent with God and man as component parts 
of the same. 

181 



CHRIST'S SECOND COMING. 



The Cherubim 
Figure Con- 
firms the Pre- 
ceding Types. 



Now after this much presented to establish the 
claim that the figures, as a vision given respec- 
tively to Ezekiel and John, represented as a 
house or temple, means church, or the redeemed 
of the Lord, I will return to the task of giving 
a Biblical interpretation of the Cherubim placed 
by "the way of the tree of life." 

When Moses was commanded to make for it 
an ark for the deposit of the testimony, he was 
instructed to make for it a mercy seat, or cover, 
of pure gold, of beaten work. Out of the two 
ends of the same he was required to construct 
two cherubims, a cherub out of one end, and an- 
other out of the other end. They were not to 
be shaped and soldered on to the mercy seat, or 
bolted on, but were to be beaten out of it, as an 
inseparable part of it, as the limbs of a tree are 
a part of the tree, or as branches of a vine are 
a part of the vine, in nature, verily identical. 
The church is beaten out of Christ. "With his 
stripes we are healed," and are thus so con- 
joined to him that the church is called "his 
body." Herein, also, is the exalted relation, as 
stated by Paul to the Phillipians, "Let this mind 
be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who 
being in the form of God (the same in mind as 



182 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

God) thought it not robbery to be equal with 
God." These cherubims "overshadowed" the 
mercy seat, i. e., guarded it or defended it. One 
of the things of great interest and importance 
about this arrangement was, as thus stated in 
full, "And the cherubims shall stretch forth their 
wings on high, covering the mercy seat with 
their wings, and their faces shall look one to 
another toward the mercy seat, shall the faces 
of the cherubims be." (Their attention and 
interest shall be in the mercy seat, Christ.) 
"And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon 
the ark, and in the ark thou shalt put the testi- 
mony that I shall give thee. And there will I 
meet with thee, and I will commune with thee 
from above the mercy seat, from between the 
two cherubims which are upon the ark of the 
testimony of all things which I will give thee 
in commandment unto the children of Israel." 
In this connection, at this stage of exposition, 
it will be helpful to the understanding of the 
figure to reproduce the following passages : 

Ps. 99:1. "The Lord reigneth; let the 
people tremble: he sitteth between the cheru- 
bims." 

II Kings 19: 15. "And Hezekiah prayed be- 

183 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

fore the Lord, and said, O Lord God of Israel, 
which dwellest between the cherubims." 

Is. 37: 16. "O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, 
that dwellest between the cherubims." 

God's Habita- Now PARTICULARLY the connection with 

tion. ^ ar fc. 

I Samuel 4 : 4. "So the people sent to Shiloh, 
that they might bring from thence the ark of 
the covenant of the Lord of hosts, which dwell- 
eth between the cherubims." 

II Samuel 6 : 2 "And David arose, and went 
with all of the people that were with him from 
Baale of Judah, to bring up from thence the 
ark of God, whose name is called by the name 
the Lord of hosts, that dwelleth between the 
cherubims." 

Num. 7 : 89. "And when Moses was gone 
into the tabernacle of the congregation to speak 
with him, then he heard the voice of one speak- 
ing unto him from off the mercy seat that was 
upon the ark of testimony, from between the 
two cherubims." 

This is sufficient to show the very important 
relation between God and the cherubims. To 
keep up, and make conspicuous, the idea of vital 
connection, the tabernacle, the most ancient type 

184 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

of the temple, had wrought into the curtains 
cherubims, particularly the ten that were to 
be the tent proper, when joined, five in one 
place and five in another, making two parts, 
to be again coupled by fifty taches of gold. Of 
this it is said, "And it shall be one tabernacle," 
(the tabernacle proper) see Ex. 26:6. The 
brief of this requirement to thus construct the 
tabernacle curtain is in these words : " More- 
over thou shalt make the tabernacle with ten 
curtains of fine twined linen and blue and 
purple and scarlet, with cherubims of cunning 
work shalt thou make them." See Ex. 26: 1. 
Thus farther on in the same chapter, there was 
to be a division curtain between the "holy place 
and the most holy," in which cherubims were 
to be worked. 

The temple, the succession of the tabernacle, j^ e jj n k £ 
the type of the new-earth-temple, built on a Cherubim with 
grander and more imposing scale, had carved Tabernacle 
upon its walls and doors cherubims, and on the and Tem Pl e - 
border between the ledges of the bases, cheru- 
bims were cast. In the apartment of the temple 
called the oracle, the innermost part of the 
temple, a room of twenty cubits breadth, there 
was built for it two cherubims of olive wood, 

185 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

overlaid with pure gold. These cherubims were 
ten cubits high, and each wing five cubits. They 
were joined in the center over the ark, and 
touched the wall on opposite sides of the oracle 
room. 

In Ezekiel's wonderful vision of a temple 
built by God and not by man, there was de- 
scribed an inner temple, in which were cheru- 
bims, "from the ground unto above the door 
were cherubims and palm trees, made on the 
wall of the temple." 

The foregoing is ample as preparatory to a 
full appreciation of the important signification 
of relation between cherubims as a mediumistic 
agency between God and man, man the depend- 
ent, and God the giver of every good and perfect 
gift, all of which will appear in its uspeakable 
beauty and richness in what is to follow, the 
unmistakeable concerning the intent of the 
figures. The clearly evident disclosing of the 
mystery lies in what can be found in four 
chapters, the first and tenth of Ezekiel, and 
the fourth and fifth of Revelation. 
EzekiePs Beginning with the first chapter of Ezekiel, 

Vision of the he say, "Now it came to pass in the thirtieth 
Cherubim. year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of 



186 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

the month, as I was among the captives by the 
river of Chebar (called now Khabour) that the 
heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God," 
etc. "And I looked, and behold, a whirlwind 
came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire 
infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, 
and out of the midst thereof as the colour of 
amber, out of the midst of the fire. Also out 
of the midst thereof came the likeness of four 
living creatures. And this was their appear- 
ance; they had the likeness of a man." The 
meaning is, these four living creatures of 
diverse appearances, combined, constituted or 
described man. They represented four cardinal 
or fundamental principles. Their feet were 
straight feet, like that of a calf's foot. David 
says, "He maketh my feet like hinds feet, and 
setteth me upon high places." This style of 
foot is the surefooted kind, and signifies clean- 
liness. These four living creatures were 
joined one to another, and were therefore one 
creature. As for the likeness of their faces, 
"they four had the face of a man, and the face 
of a lion on the right side; and they four had 
the face of an ox on the left side ; they four also 
had the face of an eagle." The man face stood 

187 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

for intelligence, ability to reason, to compare, 
to analyze and reach conclusions. The lion 
face stood for courage and strength, "The 
righteous are as bold as a lion." The ox or 
calf face answered to the idea of obedience, ser- 
vice and growthfulness. "And ye shall go forth 
and grow up as calves of the stall." The eagle 
face represents exaltation and swiftness. "They 
shall mount up on wings as doth eagles." Now 
these living creatures went "straight forward" 
and "turned not when they went." And Ezekiel 
says, "When they went I heard the noise of 
their wings like the noise of many waters, as 
the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech." 
This makes very clear what the wings were. 
The principal means of advance, of progress, 
is the voice or speech of God through man, im- 
bued and directed by the Spirit. Whither the 
Spirit was to go they went. If they proceeded, 
rested or were lifted up, it was by the Spirit. 
When they stood or rested, their wings were let 
down, i. <e., did not give out the sound and ef- 
fect of speech. In the following is the idea of 
the enthronement of man with God. 
Man En- "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit 

throned. with me in my throne, even as I also overcame 

188 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

and am set down with my Father in his throne." 
Corresponding to this is Ezekiel's exaltation of 
man, as the crowning feature of his mysterious 
figure, in the following: "And above the firma- 
ment that was over their heads, was the like- 
ness of a throne as the appearance of a sapphire 
stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was 
the likeness as the appearance of a man above 
it. And I saw as the colour of amber, as the ap- 
pearance of fire round about within it, from the 
appearance of his loins even upward, and from 
the appearance of his loins even downward I 
saw as it were the appearance of fire : and it 
had brightness round about." From the loins 
up and the loins down is the whole man on fire ^ an 
with the refiner's purifying fire; and he con- 
tinues thus : "As the appearance of the bow 
that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was 
the appearance round about. This was the 
appearance of the likeness of the glory (essenti- 
ality) of the Lord." And Ezekiel says, "When 
I saw it I fell on my face, and I heard a voice 
of one that spake. And he said unto me, Son 
of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak 
unto thee." In the second chapter of Ezekiel, 
and in parts of some following chapters, is 

189 



The Perfected 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 



Ezekiel 
Names His 
Vision. 



shown to Ezekiel, how his vision of the first 
chapter applies in his own case. The reader 
should turn to it and read for himself. 

The tenth chapter explains what the four 
living creatures are, sufficient especially to keep 
us on the track and in sight of the cherubims. 
This chapter is largely a repetition of the first 
chapter, in a different language. It is the rep- 
resentation of the four living creatures by a 
different name, explanatory in nature. In definite 
language, referring to the purpose of the vision, 
as first given, and then partly interpreted, it 
reads, "This is the living creature that I saw, 
under the God of Israel by the river of Chebar; 
and I knew that it was the cherubims. Every 
one had four faces and every one four wings, 
and the likeness of the hands of a man was 
under their wings." A dozen times in this 
chapter the four living creatures are referred 
to as cherubims. 

Now we will turn to Revelation, chapters four 
and five, in which is the expository revelation, 
first, of the type and the series of types follow- 
ing, intermediate between the first and last. 
John says, "After this I looked, and, behold a 
door was opened in heaven ; and the first voice 



190 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talk- 
ing with me; which said, Come up hither, and 
I will shew the things which must be hereafter. 
And immediately I was in the Spirit; and, be- 
hold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on 

the throne. And he that sat was to look upon , f / pe 

r plained, 
like a jasper and a sardius stone, and there was 

a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like 
an emerald. And round about the throne were 
four and twenty seats, and upon the seats, I 
saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in 
white raiment ; and they had on their heads 
crowns of gold. And before the throne there 
was a sea of glass, like unto crystal : and in the 
midst of the throne and round about the throne 
are four beasts (living creatures) full of eyes 
before and behind (perceptive faculty to com- 
prehend the past and the future). And the first 
beast was like a lion, and the second beast like 
a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, 
and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle." 
Note, the four creatures, as here described, are 
precisely in name the same as were those four 
living creatures of Ezekiel's vision, which were 
repeatedly called cherubims. "And the four 
beasts (living creatures) had each of them six 

191 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 



Ezekiel's 
Vision of 
Living- 
Creatures Re- 
produced by 
John. 



wings about him," two more than Ezekiel saw, 
or pair, added by the gospel message. The four 
wings of Ezekiel's living creatures were the two 
of the patriarchal age and the two of the 
Mosaic age. These, remember, are locomotion 
means, illustrative of the voice or speech of 
God, through man, another way of showing 
what is meant by the "flaming sword," men- 
tioned in connection with the cherubim that 
was "placed by the way" to "keep the way of 
the tree of life." 

This is not the dead letter of the word, but 
the living word, made so by the quickening 
spirit of God. The word of God is only a wing, 
or wings, when vitalized by the moving force 
of the spirit. "And they were full of eyes with- 
in (inward perceptibility) and they rest not day 
and night, saying, holy, holy, holy, Lord God 
Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. 
And when these living creatures gave glory and 
honor and thanks to him that sat on the throne, 
who liveth forever and ever, the four and 
twenty elders (the twelve elders of ancient 
Israel and the twelve elders of the new or spirit- 
ual Israel) fell down before him that sat on the 
throne and worshiped him who liveth forever 



192 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, 
saying Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive 
glory and honour and power, for thou hast 
created all things, and for thy pleasure they are 
and were created. And I saw in the right hand The Bible, 
of him that sat on the throne, a book written 
within, and on the backside sealed with seven 
seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming 
with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the 
book and to loose the seals thereof? And no 
man in heaven, nor in earth, or under the earth 
was able to open the book, or to look thereon." 
Remember, no one could lift the lid of the ark 
and look in on the oracle therein. It was a 
sealed book only as its contents were communi- 
cated over the mercy seat THROUGH BE- 
TWEEN THE CHERUBIMS by the ever 
present Shekinah. "And (John says) I wept 
much because no man was found worthy to 
open and to read the book, neither to look there- 
on. And one of the elders said unto me, Weep 
not, behold the lion of the tribe of Judah and 
the Root of David hath prevailed to open the 
book and loose the seven seals thereof. And 
I beheld, and lo, in the midst of the throne and 
of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, 

193 



Christ's second coming. 



The Elders 
and the 
Living 
"Beasts." 



stood a lamb as it had been slain, having seven 
horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits 
of God sent forth into all the earth. And he 
came and took the book out of the right hand 
of him who sat on the throne. And when he 
had taken the book, the four beasts, and the 
four and twenty elders fell down before the 
Lamb, having every one of them harps and 
golden vials full of odours, WHICH ARE THE 
PRAYERS OF SAINTS. And they sung a 
new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the 
book and to open the seals thereof, for thou 
wast slain and hast redeemed US to God by thy 
blood, out of every kindred and tongue and 
people and nation, and hast made us unto our 
God kings and priests, and WE SHALL 
REIGN ON THE EARTH." 

It was the four and twenty elders and the 
four living creatures that were redeemed out 
of every kindred and tongue and people and 
nation, hence the evident truth of the beasts is, 
THEY ARE THE CHURCH. The cherubims 
placed by the way of the tree of life, or "that 
overshadowed the mercy seat, or that which is 
described in Ezekiel as the four living creatures 
having the "likeness of a man/' or that which 



194 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

in Revelation is called the "city of God," "the 
bride," "the Lamb's wife," the measure of 
which is "the measure of a man." 

When the seals of the book, which John saw 
in the right hand of him who sat on the throne, 
were opened in order as they were, it is thus 
worded in part: "And I saw when the Lamb 
opened one of the seals, and I heard as it were 
the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts 
saying, Come and see." This book that was 
sealed and was opened was the Word of God, 
the oracle of God as we now have it in the new 
covenant form. It is the Church, the Lamb's 
wife, which is constantly in the attitude of a 
tenderer of light from the word of God, or in 
another way of stating it, and perhaps the more 
properly, the church is the medium through 
which the invitation is issued to "Come and see." 

Commencing with the sixth chapter of Revela- 
tion, and running through all of the following 
chapters to the end of the book, is a setting 
forth, in symbol form, the deeply mysterious 
truths, the church's conflicts and victories. Here The E m bi em . 
we get the emblematical discovery of the course atical Discov- 
of events from the first one, as set forth in "I ery. 
will put enmity between thee and the woman 

195 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

(the church), between thy seed and her seed 
(Christ), it shall bruise thy head and thou 
shalt bruise his heel." This is the first revela- 
tion after the fall of man, and in the order of 
opening the seals, the first broken seal, as John 
saw it. 

He says, "And I saw, and behold, a white 
horse, and he that sat on him had a bow, and 
a crown was given unto him, and he went forth 
conquering and to conquer." This representa- 
tion presents Christ and his gospel as the all 
conquering force, the beneficently triumphant 
power that is to conquer, and continuously 
conquer until the last opposition to Christ and 
his kingdom is subdued. 
The Order of The opening of the next seal reveals the perse- 
Biblical Reve- cuting power, the mission of which is to take 
lations. peace from the earth and to the opening of the 

next, the third seal, reveals the functionary of 
weights, he who can weigh deeds. The next, 
the fourth seal opening, reveals him who has 
the power of death. The sixth seal opens the 
book where is revealed the great reward for 
faithful service, that which is true unto the 
death. The white robing is for such as come 
off conquerors. The opening of the sixth seal 

196 






CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

opens the book at where we pass over from the 
law to grace, the terrible day of God's vengeance 
visited upon the unfaithful Israel, the old repre- 
sentative church, and the day of recompense in 
saving a remnant, the 144,000, and then the 
"great multitude which no man could number," 
of all nations and kindreds of the earth. 

The opening of the seventh seal opens the 
book on agencies or processes. It is a revela- 
tion of a series of powers and governments, to 
the last, of which we have particular descrip- 
tion in the two concluding chapters of Revela- 
tion, the crystallization of events and processes 
into what these closing chapters of the Apoca- ^ wt L. . 
lypse calls the New Jerusalem state, the church, p ro( j uct 
in a highly advanced, purified, triumphant state. 
This is the redeemed product of Christ our 
Lord. This finished product, as here set forth, 
is the Zion of God into which all the kings and 
nations of the earth shall eventually bring honor 
and glory. The flaming sword which turns 
every way, the sword of Spirit, the Word of 
God in the hands of the Cherubim, the church, 
the redeemed of God, is the all conquering in- 
strument of our blessed Redeemer. 



197 



NOT HEREAFTER, BUT NOW. 



"The Kingdom of God is within you." — Luke 
17:21. 

I'm not waiting for the coming of the bride- 
groom in the air. 

I'm not sighing for the gathering of the ran- 
somed over there. 

I am not thinking of the glory which I shall 
sometime share; 

I'm thinking of what is mine at any time 
anywhere. 

I am not abridging pleasures for a treasure in 

the skies. 
I am not dropping sin by sin for some final, 

future prize. 
I am setting my affections on the goal that 

nearer lies, 
And a heavenly mansion that's not in nor o'er 

the skies. 

I'm not heralding the coming of the bridegroom 

in the air. 
I am preaching that his coming is his kingdom 

anywhere. 
I'm not advising for a final day of burning to 

prepare ; 
I am preaching of a burning that is burning 

everywhere. 

198 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

I am not watching for the signs of some future 

morning's ray. 
In my heart the beams have risen, as the 

harbinger of day. 
"Christ in me the hope of glory" every moment 

seems to say: 
All there is of heaven is, in kind, fruitions of 

today. 

It's not the joy of seeing Jesus in His glory 

by and by; 
Nor the sweets of future meeting, where there's 

neither pain nor sigh. 
It is the joy of present knowing of this by-and- 

by. 
That all the joys, and belongings to it, ever 

near us lie. 

I am not thinking of rejoicings, when my 

Saviour comes again; 
Nor of the final victory, when is o'er this battle 

strain. 
For I know that every moment that shall ever 

intervene 
Between the time of sowing and the glory of 

that scene, 

Is a time of building, and increasing of holdings, 

for that day. 
To forego a present reaping is to throw much 

good away. 

199 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

I am not preparing for a general resurrection 

morn, 
Nor for a day of judgment, when a judge 

seated on a throne, 

Shall judge some worthy, and some unworthy 
of life eternal. 

But, I will, between this and that time, mind 
well the interval. 

The Pharisees asked the Savior when God's 
kingdom should begin. 

His answer was, You cannot date it ; the king- 
dom is within. 

You shall not aver, says He, that it is either 
"here or there." 

It is an immanent God, who is ever present, 
everywhere. 

I am glorying in the Truth that has ever been 

enthroned, 
The only conqueror, of error, which has our life 

entombed. 
Sin is the graveyard of "dry bones," where 

multitudes of souls lie, 
Who shall stand up, an army great, when we 

truly prophesy. 

This is the first resurrection, which is naught 

but the new birth, 
By which is put off the old man, purely earthy, 

of this earth 

200 



CHRIST S SECOND COMING. 

And thus on the new man, Christ, shining by 

us as a light, 
Banishing our ignorance, and blotting out our 

night 

Tell us not of future blessings, or of final 

dazzling splendor ; 
Of eclipsing joys and glory in a world way off 

yonder. 
As our eyes with truth shall open we shall see 

and know of heaven. 
Of this, we can best know by the life-lump, and 

the kind of leaven. 

Christ has come, and heaven with him, in a 
light that shines within. 

I now pray and work only for a present, con- 
scious knowing 

Of these essentials only, and my place as Truth's 
evangel. 

This is heaven. ("The measure of a man, that 
is his angel.") 



201 



APR 18 1910 



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